Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said the Democratic Unionist Party “will take our time” to comb over Rishi Sunak’s new Brexit deal in order to ensure it “matches” the prime minister’s promises.
The DUP leader suggested that his party will allow for as much time as is needed to study the “very complex agreement” which, he insisted, was “only received yesterday afternoon”.
Sir Jeffrey’s comments come as all eyes shift to the DUP, with the prime minister heading to Northern Ireland today to sell his new deal.
Mr Sunak agreed the so-called Windsor Framework on Monday, alongside European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, to make changes to the Northern Ireland protocol.
The new framework was announced at a joint press conference, in which Mr Sunak said the two sides had “changed the original protocol and are today announcing the new Windsor Framework”. The prime minster explained that he was “standing here today because I believe we have found ways to end the uncertainty and challenge for the people of Northern Ireland”.
The new plan includes measures to create green and red trade routes over the Irish Sea, make changes to VAT and excise duties and a settlement on medicines.
There is also a new “Stormont brake” feature which would see the Northern Ireland Assembly given the power to block any EU law changes from coming into force in the region. The proposal is seen as key to winning over the DUP, which has blocked the functioning of the NI assembly over the protocol issue.
Speaking this morning to BBC Radio 4, Sir Jeffrey said: “We recognise that progress has been made across a number of areas about which we had concern… the impact the protocol had been having on businesses and consumers in Northern Ireland and our ability to access goods and our supply chains in Great Britain.
“I think that these proposals go some way to addressing those concerns but there remain some issues where we will continue to engage with the Government and we will take our time”.
Sir Jeffrey was also clear that the party will be checking that Rishi Sunak’s Brexit promises “match” with what the new deal with the EU outlines. He said: “I have said that progress has been made. We continue to have some concerns. We will examine the legal text, we will look at all of this in the round and come to a decision”.
“We are reasonable people but we want to ensure that what the prime minister has said is matched by what is actually in the agreement itself. Can it deliver on the areas of concern that we set out in our seven tests?”.
The DUP has previously outlined seven “tests” or redlines which they saw any protocol resolution must pass; these include no border in the Irish Sea and no checks on goods between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.
Also on the media round this morning, foreign secretary James Cleverly cautioned that there is little scope to make any changes to the new Brexit deal with Brussels.
He told BBC Breakfast: “We don’t want to change this. It is a finely balanced document. We have got the European Commission to move a very, very long way from their starting point”.
Mr Cleverly also refused to say if the DUP had the power to block the Windsor Framework. He told Sky News: “If they don’t re-enter the power-sharing executive that would be hugely disappointing. I think that won’t be good news for the people of Northern Ireland”.
