DUP leader ‘hopeful’ deal can be done on Protocol but insists work remains

'The decisions that will be taken by the prime minister and by the European Commission will either consign Northern Ireland to more division or they will clear a path towards healing and to the restoration of the political institutions,' Jeffrey Donaldson said

Jeffrey Donaldson MP speaks to the media outside the Culloden Hotel in Belfast. Picture: PA

The leader of the DUP has expressed hope that the UK and EU can strike a deal that addresses unionist concerns about Brexit and the Northern Ireland Protocol.

Commenting after meeting British prime Minister Rishi Sunak in Belfast, Jeffrey Donaldson said it appeared “real progress” had been made in negotiations between London and Brussels, but he cautioned that more work was needed to get a final deal “over the line”.