{"id":9085,"date":"2024-02-05T15:37:56","date_gmt":"2024-02-05T15:37:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/?post_type=insight&p=9085"},"modified":"2024-02-05T16:50:11","modified_gmt":"2024-02-05T16:50:11","slug":"northern-irelands-political-institutions-get-back-up-and-running","status":"publish","type":"insight","link":"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/insight\/northern-irelands-political-institutions-get-back-up-and-running\/","title":{"rendered":"Back from the brink? Northern Ireland\u2019s political institutions get back up and running\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

After a two-year hiatus for Northern Ireland\u2019s political institutions, the Democratic Unionist Party has agreed with the UK Government a package of reforms to trade mechanisms between Great Britain and the province. The agreement clears the way for the restoration of the region\u2019s political institutions, the Executive and the Assembly at Stormont. The deal is significant for businesses operating in and into Northern Ireland, but also holds notable political ramifications. With Rishi Sunak visiting Northern Ireland to trumpet the success of the deal today, we look at what it means for intra-UK trade and the political future of Northern Ireland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s in the deal?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The most significant element of the agreement, set out in a command paper published by the Government on Wednesday, provides for \u201cunfettered access\u201d for goods coming from GB that are destined to be sold to consumers in NI, significantly reducing checks and paperwork on those goods. It is designed to address unionist concerns over the differences in customs arrangements for Northern Ireland and Great Britain creating a \u2018border in the Irish Sea\u2019, which they had seen as undermining the region\u2019s place in the Union.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In practice, this means that there will be no routine checks and customs paperwork on goods moving between GB and NI that are intended for consumption in NI, provided businesses register with a \u2018trusted trader\u2019 scheme. Materials that are imposed for processing, like raw materials and components, will still face full customs checks. So, while it might be easier for businesses like retailers to send their goods to NI, certain parts of the economy \u2013 like heavy manufacturing \u2013 will still face some friction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The rest is politics<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While businesses will no doubt welcome these changes, what\u2019s more important is the return of Stormont Assembly and the Northern Ireland Executive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The region\u2019s parties met late last week to discuss the key issues that the new Executive will face. Their to-do list is dauntingly long: two years without Government has left Northern Ireland suffering from widespread strikes over public sector pay, and the health service\u2019s wait times have been soaring. The first item on the agenda will be setting the region\u2019s budget in April. And while the \u00a33bn bung the Government has promised will help fill some fiscal holes, there will be multiple acute demands across departments to fix the hangover from Stormont\u2019s suspension. One of the new Executive\u2019s first acts was to write to Westminster in Oliver Twist fashion, asking for more funding. While the UK Government has signalled a Dickensian tight-fistedness, the scrap over money is only just beginning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aside from policy questions, the moment has huge political significance. When Stormont voted to approve the formation of the Executive on Saturday it gave effect to what was an historic victory for Sinn F\u00e9in at the last Assembly election. Michelle O\u2019Neill is now the first republican to hold the post of First Minister in the region\u2019s history. Although the First and Deputy First Minister posts have equal powers, the symbolism of this moment, in a political community where symbolism counts for a lot, will not be lost on observers from either side of the region\u2019s political divide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That symbolism is compounded by the imminent possibility of Sinn F\u00e9in being in power on both sides of the border. The next election to the Republic of Ireland\u2019s D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann is due by March of 2025, and polls are showing the republican party firmly in the lead. The prospect of a Sinn F\u00e9in Taoiseach (Irish PM) in the South partnered with a Sinn F\u00e9in First Minister in the North is the stuff of unionist nightmares.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Never, never, never?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this context, the DUP leadership is not out of the woods yet. There have already been signs of discontent from loyalist hardliners about Sinn F\u00e9in\u2019s ascent. Firebrand campaigner Jamie Bryson has said that any DUP Deputy First Minister would be \u201cdebasing themselves\u201d by entering into power-sharing with a Sinn F\u00e9in FM, and the chair of the Loyalist Communities Council \u2013 an umbrella group for loyalist paramilitaries \u2013 said that Sinn F\u00e9in\u2019s taking up the position would be \u201canti-democratic\u201d. There have been rumblings about the possibility of street protests organised in part by the paramilitaries, harking back to the days of the original Northern Ireland Protocol protests and street disorder in early 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether Jeffrey Donaldson can keep his unionist coalition together as the implementation of the deal and the resurrection of Belfast\u2019s political institutions continues remains to be seen. But the province will be holding its breath, hoping that government can be restored \u2013 and public services fixed \u2013 without major incident.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read more <\/em>Insights & News<\/a>  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After a two-year hiatus for Northern Ireland\u2019s political institutions, the Democratic Unionist Party has agreed with the UK Government a package of reforms to trade mechanisms between Great Britain and the province. The agreement clears the way for the restoration of the region\u2019s political institutions, the Executive and the Assembly at Stormont. The deal is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":9088,"menu_order":0,"template":"","services":[29],"sectors":[],"class_list":["post-9085","insight","type-insight","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","services-public-affairs-and-policy"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"yoast_head":"\nNorthern Ireland's political institutions get back up and running - Headland International<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"After a two-year hiatus for Northern Ireland\u2019s political institutions, the Democratic Unionist Party has agreed with the UK Government a...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Northern Ireland's political institutions get back up and running - Headland International\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"After a two-year hiatus for Northern Ireland\u2019s political institutions, the Democratic Unionist Party has agreed with the UK Government a...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/insight\/northern-irelands-political-institutions-get-back-up-and-running\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Headland International\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-02-05T16:50:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/02\/8561923753_5547ba702d_k-e1707142423142.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"654\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/insight\/northern-irelands-political-institutions-get-back-up-and-running\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/insight\/northern-irelands-political-institutions-get-back-up-and-running\/\",\"name\":\"Northern Ireland's political institutions get back up and running - Headland International\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/insight\/northern-irelands-political-institutions-get-back-up-and-running\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/insight\/northern-irelands-political-institutions-get-back-up-and-running\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/02\/8561923753_5547ba702d_k-e1707142423142.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-02-05T15:37:56+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-02-05T16:50:11+00:00\",\"description\":\"After a two-year hiatus for Northern Ireland\u2019s political institutions, the Democratic Unionist Party has agreed with the UK Government a...\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/insight\/northern-irelands-political-institutions-get-back-up-and-running\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/insight\/northern-irelands-political-institutions-get-back-up-and-running\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/insight\/northern-irelands-political-institutions-get-back-up-and-running\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/02\/8561923753_5547ba702d_k-e1707142423142.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/02\/8561923753_5547ba702d_k-e1707142423142.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":654,\"caption\":\"northern ireland democratic unionist party\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/insight\/northern-irelands-political-institutions-get-back-up-and-running\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Insights\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/insight\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Back from the brink? 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