Jeffrey Donaldson’s big decision: Will the DUP finally return to Stormont?

As the United Kingdom gets ready for a general election next year that most people believe is going to lead to the election of a Labour administration, Rishi Sunak has laid out what looks likely to be the last annual programme of legislation after 13 years of continuous Conservative Prime Ministers.

The legislative plans announced by King Charles to Parliament on Tuesday were greeted with a pretty muted response, but one thing notable by its absence was any concrete proposal to address the concerns of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) about the Northern Ireland Protocol and the Windsor Framework.

But DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson must soon decide whether to lead his party back into power-sharing or to let devolution die and direct rule return. The decision he makes will be defining for Northern Ireland, for Unionism and for Donaldson himself. To discuss the forces at play, unionist commentator Alex Kane and Northern Editor Freya McClements join Pat and Hugh on today’s Inside Politics podcast.

Alex Kane is a commentator based in Belfast. He was formerly director of communications for the Ulster Unionist Party.