Tánaiste holds ‘productive’ talks with Northern parties on protocol

Fresh talks between Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin and Northern political leaders aimed at resolving the row over the Northern Ireland protocol and restoring Stormont have been described as “productive”.

The Tánaiste telephoned party leaders on Monday ahead of a January 19th deadline to call another Assembly election. The North has been without a functioning government since last May’s poll due to the DUP’s boycott of the powersharing institutions over its protocol concerns.

DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson said his conversation with Mr Martin was “useful”, but expressed the party’s ongoing opposition to the post-Brexit trade deal. He insisted he was “committed to the restoration of Stormont”, but added that “such a restoration can only be durable if it is built on solid foundations” which are supported by unionists and nationalists.

“The NI protocol is now recognised in London, Dublin and Brussels as the problem for unionists. It was a mistake for the protocol’s authors to press ahead with an agreement that has harmed Northern Ireland’s constitutional and economic place within the United Kingdom,” he said. “We have an opportunity to get an outcome from these negotiations which replaces the protocol by arrangements that restore NI’s place in the UK internal market and our constitutional position is respected.”

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First Minister designate and Sinn Féin deputy leader Michelle O’Neill said she supported a “negotiated outcome” on the protocol.

Ms O’Neill tweeted that she’d had a “good call” with the Tánaiste. “We share a common commitment on way forward to get negotiated outcome on protocol and immediate restoration of powersharing,” she wrote. “My priority is to work with all parties and both governments to achieve this in days and weeks ahead.”

The talks took place prior to a joint statement being issued by the EU and UK government about the “new basis” for protocol negotiations after an agreement was reached on sharing trade data. The statement came after a meeting between EU chief negotiator Maros Šefčovič, UK foreign secretary James Cleverly and Northern Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris.

Meanwhile, SDLP leader Colum Eastwood said he discussed the “urgent need” to restore Stormont with Mr Martin, as well as his opposition to the UK government’s controversial legacy legislation which “shut down opportunities for justice”.

“I had a productive call with the Tánaiste. Our shared priority remains the restoration of the devolved institutions at Stormont. With crises facing the delivery of public services and household finances in every community, it is vital that the Assembly and Executive are back up and running as soon as possible.

“We also discussed the British government’s deeply flawed approach to legacy and the impact of the bill currently before parliament. This legislation does not command the support of victims and survivors, the political parties in Northern Ireland or the Irish Government.”

Ulster Unionist Party leader Doug Beattie said that “time was of the essence” in restoring devolution. “I had a good conversation with Micheál Martin regarding issues around the protocol. We really need to see if negotiations can produce some results. Otherwise we are in for another political groundhog day, with the cost-of-living crisis and our health service on its knees.”

Alliance Party leader Naomi Long is due to speak to Mr Martin on Tuesday. In a statement to The Irish Times, she said her party – now the third largest at Stormont after doubling its seats in the last Assembly poll – “does not fear an election” but branded it “an expensive and ultimately futile exercise” given the ongoing EU/UK talks.

Ms Long said she will urge Mr Martin to “both take the election threat off the table and increase the urgency to restore the Assembly and Executive”.

“While the engagement between the UK government and EU, as well as constructive engagement between the government and Irish Government, is welcome, we need to see long-term reforms to prevent a single party collapsing the entire system by walking out. I will be urging the Irish Government to add their voices to advancing the reform agenda at pace.”