Mary Lou McDonald says it's 'game on' for Northern Ireland protocol deal after Sunak meeting
Sinn Fein Party leader Mary Lou McDonald (left) and vice president Michelle O'Neill speak to the media outside the Culloden Hotel in Belfast, where Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is holding talks with Stormont leaders over the Northern Ireland Protocol. Picture: Liam McBurney/PA Wire
Sinn Féín has called indications of progress on the Northern Ireland Protocol heartening however, the deal "is not done yet", Britain's prime minister told the SDLP.
Rishi Sunak was meeting with a number of party leaders at Stormont on Friday morning amid rumours that a deal was about to be struck.
One of those leaders, SDLP head Colum Eastwood, said that Mr Sunak had given “scant” detail on the potential deal with the EU.
He said he believed that Mr Sunak was “ticking the box” of engaging with the Stormont parties.
“I think he’s very careful not to get into too much detail until the deal is done and I suppose that’s fair enough,” he said.
Mr Eastwood said he made clear to Mr Sunak that the dual market access provided for in the protocol, allowing business in Northern Ireland to sell unfettered into the EU single market, must be preserved.
“He said the deal is not done yet,” he added.
“I think he’s clear that lots of progress has been made and that’s what we’ve been hearing from the European side and from Dublin as well. But he says it’s not done and he’s going to Munich to see Ursula von der Leyen (European Commission president) and we’ll see what comes out of that.
“But I would be fairly optimistic that we’re very close to an agreement.
“We have to be courageous and we have to take steps that allow local governance to be back up and running to deal with the health service and to pick up the opportunities that the protocol provides for the economy.”
DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson said progress has been made across a range of areas but further work is required before a deal on the Northern Ireland protocol is struck.
He said: "We have not yet seen the final text of an agreement, clearly there will be further discussions between the UK Government and the European Union but I think it is safe to say that progress has been made across a range of areas, but there are still some areas where further work is required.”
Sinn Fein president Mary Lou McDonald said that indications of progress on the Northern Ireland Protocol was heartening.
“It’s clear now that significant progress has been made and we’re very heartened by that.
“We now want to see a speedy conclusion of matters and, above all else, we want to see the institutions restored, government restored here in the North.
“The bottom line is that we have to ensure that any deal provides for ongoing access to the European single market, no hardening of the border on the island of Ireland and a protection of the Good Friday Agreement in all of its parts.
“Those are the core elements and aspects that need to be protected. But it seems to us that it’s very much game on.
“We’re very heartened by that, we’re very conscious that a deal can be done, should now be concluded speedily, we hope that that will be the case. Then it’s a matter for everyone, for each of the political parties to step up, get back to work and deliver for people here.”
She added: “I think we’ve all seen in recent weeks certainly an upping of the pace of political engagement and activity. That, to our mind, is a very, very positive thing. It’s absolutely necessary that there is intensive goodwill, good faith work done between the parties.”
Meanwhile, Alliance Party leader Naomi Long said that she insisted on the importance of dual-market access for Northern Ireland.
“We were trying to convey to him the importance to local businesses, and to Northern Ireland as a whole, of having a relationship with the EU that is positive and constructive, of having stability, of maintaining dual access in terms of markets, and on us being able to move forward and restore the Assembly,” she told reporters.
She added: “I think to some degree it’s about listening, it’s about trying to sound out what the exact bottom line of some parties is because some have been more cloaked about that than others.
“We have been very clear that our bottom line is about maintaining that dual-market access for Northern Ireland, that uniqueness that would allow us to grow our economy and become successful, and it’s important that we’re able to do that.”
UUP leader Doug Beattie said that Rishi Sunak claimed there was a way to go yet on the Northern Ireland Protocol deal.
“I will take what he said to me, he said ‘there’s a way to go yet’, is what he said, his words,” he told reporters.
“That doesn’t mean that things won’t move quickly, that he did say there’s a way to go yet, so that tells me that a deal has not been finalised.” He added: “Really, all he said was things are moving quicker than he probably anticipated them actually moving.
“But when he says there’s still some way to go, that sort of tells me that we could be talking next week, that doesn’t mean it will be next week, it could be the week after."
Labour will offer Rishi Sunak the additional votes he needs to get a Northern Ireland Protocol deal through Parliament, the shadow justice secretary has said.
Steve Reed told reporters: “Labour wants this problem fixed, so we are prepared to give Rishi Sunak the additional votes he needs to get this through Parliament and it’s important that the Prime Minister works with the Labour Party rather than listen to the extremists in his own ranks who do not want to resolve this problem that has caused a division inside our United Kingdom.”
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
