UPWARDS leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has made it clear that his party will not return Stormont in their continued protest against post-Brexit trade deals.
The DUP began boycotting Stormont last year over concerns that the Northern Ireland Protocol created a maritime border on the UK’s single market.
The Windsor Framework sought to address these concerns by creating a red lane/green lane system to reduce checks, and the Stormont brake – a veto against new EU laws being implemented in Northern Ireland.
While Sir Jeffrey admitted progress had been made, the party declared it would vote against the Stormont brake in the House of Commons on Wednesday, a vote taken as an indication of support for the overall framework.
The vote passed despite opposition from the DUP.
“I have consistently stated that despite the progress made, fundamental problems remain,” he tweeted.
“Consequently, at this stage there is no sustainable basis to restore Stormont.
“We are voting against the proposal today and will continue to engage with the government to bring about clarification, rework and change.”
Sir Jeffrey added that the DUP would “work intensively to solve these problems … in the knowledge that what has already been achieved is because we were not prepared to undermine Northern Ireland’s place within the Union of the United Kingdom to accept.”.
The government has previously said that the framework will not be renegotiated with the EU and the foreign minister James smart will formally approve the Windsor Framework at a joint committee meeting on the Withdrawal Agreement in London on Friday.
Sinn Fein leader Michelle O’Neill called on the DUP to end the Stormont blockade and return to devolved government.
“The public has been punished long enough by this useless and shameful DUP blockade,” she said.
Ms O’Neill also called on other parties to work to get the Assembly functioning again to take advantage of the economic opportunities offered by the Windsor Framework.
“It is up to the British and Irish governments and all parties – not least the DUP – to get Stormont moving now,” said Ms O’Neill.
“It is time to move on. We need to see the Assembly and the executive now at work to address the challenges in our health care system and deliver results for business, for workers and for families.
“We now have unprecedented economic opportunities to strengthen our economy and create more and better jobs.
Our people and our economy cannot wait. We need stability and we need to see the executive branch work without further delay
“Further blocking the formation of an executive will only deepen the chaos caused by Brexit and discourage international investors.
“Our people and our economy cannot wait. We need stability and we need to see the executive in place without further delays.”
The Alliance Party voted for the Stormont brake on Wednesday.
Alliance deputy leader Stephen Farry said the party had reservations about the mechanism but was confident there were safeguards around its operation.
“We have given the Windsor Framework a wide welcome,” he said.
“Although it’s not perfect, we recognize it’s a significant upgrade over the original protocol.
“Alliance did not support Brexit, but thanks to the hard Brexit that the British government and DUP, we must address the specific challenges of our region. The Windsor Framework offers us an even softer landing than before and provides practical answers to a range of issues that have come to light in recent years.”
The SDLP and UUP have both expressed concerns about elements of the Framework, but have pushed for the Assembly to be reinstated.
The vote on the Stormont brake has shown that the British government is going ahead and that the DUP boycott has failed
Speaking in the House of Commons on Wednesday, SDLP leader Colum Eastwood said his party dislikes the Stormont brake but generally agreed with the framework.
“The reality is we will vote for this because it’s been made very clear that this is a vote on the whole framework and we’ve had a lot of negotiations in the past,” he said.
“We know, we understand when the negotiations are over and a decision has to be made. In every negotiation, in every deal, there have been parts of those deals that we didn’t like, but we’ve had to swallow it for the greater good of the people of Northern Ireland.
UUP leader Doug Beattie stressed the importance of the Stormont meeting in dealing with the future framework.
“The Windsor Framework offers real opportunities and serious challenges,” he said.
“The Ulster Unionist Party believes that we need a functioning devolved government to realize the opportunities and address the many challenges.
“The vote on the Stormont brake has shown that the British government is going ahead and that the DUP boycott has failed.
“Unionism has to make a decision, do we want to have influence through the Assembly and the executive, or do we want to be nothing more than passengers with no say in the direction we go? The Ulster Unionist Party is clear on what is best for Northern Ireland.”