The UK government’s Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, has recently called upon unionist political parties in Northern Ireland to cooperate with Westminster in order to restore powersharing in the region. Sunak’s comments follow a prolonged period of political deadlock in Northern Ireland, which has seen the Stormont Assembly inactive for over three years. With Brexit looming and multiple crises facing the country, Sunak has emphasised the need for unionists to work with the government in finding a way forward for the people of Northern Ireland.
The United Kingdom’s Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, has called for the Northern institutions to operate for “every single year” of the next 25 as a means of honouring the legacy of the Belfast Agreement. Speaking at a three-day conference hosted by Queen’s University Belfast to mark the 25th anniversary of the agreement, Sunak urged unionists to work with the government to restore the powersharing government. The prime minister noted that nine of the last 25 years have seen the institutions down which should be a source of profound concern. He further warned that over the long term, this would do nothing to bolster unionism. Sunak called for the restoration of the institutions, echoing high-profile speakers such as Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, who stated that people in Northern Ireland “deserve” a functioning Executive, Assembly, and North-South Ministerial Council.
Former US President Bill Clinton said that the agreement was “never supposed to be used to make sure there could be no self-government” and that it was time to “get this show on the road”. He quoted the poet Seamus Heaney in summing up the advances made in Northern Ireland in the last 25 years, claiming that those who had helped bring about the agreement “walked on air against our better judgement. Now you have a hard floor to walk on. For God’s sakes, get up and walk”.
However, the Assembly and Executive, which were set up as a result of the agreement, remain suspended due to the DUP’s refusal to re-enter the devolved government until its concerns over post-Brexit trading arrangements are resolved. The party is still considering its response to the Windsor Framework, which the EU and UK agreed upon in February. The DUP is seeking further reassurance on sovereignty and the application of EU law in Northern Ireland.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson said there was a “bubble” at the university and there was a “rather different” mood in London. He further stated that while they would have lots of people who would tell them what the problem is, he had not heard anyone come forward with a solution. In a post on social media, Mr Donaldson also stated that “the great and the good can lecture us all they want for a cheap round of applause, but it won’t change the political reality … berating unionists won’t solve the problem”.
During a meeting between the Taoiseach and the Prime Minister following the conference, Leo Varadkar raised the Coalition’s concerns over the UK government’s controversial Legacy Bill with Rishi Sunak. They also discussed the 25th anniversary of the agreement, economic opportunities for Northern Ireland, and the scope for further strengthening the British-Irish relationship. According to an Irish Government readout, the Taoiseach and Prime Minister “agreed that the 25th anniversary was a critical opportunity to bring a renewed sense of hope and focus to protecting the peace and the gains of the Good Friday agreement for future generations”.
The conference was also attended by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who called the Windsor Framework on post-Brexit trade a “new beginning for old friends”. The 25th anniversary of the agreement was marked with a gala dinner hosted by Sunak at Hillsborough Castle on Wednesday evening. In his speech to the conference, the Taoiseach stated that the atmosphere had changed since Sunak became prime minister and that there was now a “real prospect … of restoring relations to where they were before Brexit happened”.
