Powersharing

A former minister turned SNP rebel has called for the end of the powersharing agreement between the Government and the Greens as he dubbed the party “wine bar pseudo-intellectuals”.

Despite the peace accord serving as a blueprint for other conflicts globally, there has been a powersharing stalemate at Stormont for almost as long as it as been functioning.

DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has said that he cannot be certain that Stormont powersharing will return by the end of the year.

FERGUS Ewing was right to criticise the Scottish Greens participation in the SNP Government ("SNP MSP hits out at Greens as he calls for end to powersharing deal", heraldscotland, April 1).

Mr Sunak has promised that the House of Commons will be able to “express its view” over any deal, which he hopes will get the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) to restore powersharing in Northern Ireland.

Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris said it is now the time for decisions to be made on the restoration of powersharing in Northern Ireland.

Sir Jeffrey said talks are continuing with the UK Government, adding he is “not planning for failure” and wants to find a solution to allow his party to return to taking part in the powersharing government at Stormont.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said he trusts UK prime minister Rishi Sunak to keep Ireland informed in any negotiation to encourage the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) to return to powersharing.

The DUP has been urged to grasp the goodwill being shown to Northern Ireland during the Good Friday Agreement commemorations and restore the powersharing institutions at Stormont.

The DUP has ruled out powersharing returning to normal anytime before Christmas.

The opinion of the DUP is seen as a key bellwether for the success of any deal, with the party’s backing crucial to restoring powersharing at Stormont.

The party has made clear it will not allow a return to powersharing until radical changes to the protocol are delivered.

The powersharing executive at Stormont, established by the 1998 peace deal, collapsed last year as part of a DUP protest at post-Brexit trading arrangements between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.

The Scottish Greens, who agreed the Bute House powersharing deal with the SNP, had signalled that they would not work with Ms Forbes if she were elected as the country’s next first minister.

During an appearance before the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee yesterday, Mr Heaton-Harris was asked by chair Sir Robert Buckland about the disagreement between the Treasury and the powersharing executive over revenue-raising.

In a statement to MLAs, Mr Nesbitt confirmed the step had been taken following agreement with the devolved powersharing Executive.

Lead counsel for the inquiry Clair Dobbin KC asked if this had become a “cause of some difficulty” for ministers in the Stormont powersharing Executive.

That came after an emergency meeting of the Scottish Cabinet on Thursday morning, where Mr Yousaf terminated the powersharing deal with “immediate effect”.

The end of the powersharing deal between the SNP and the Scottish Greens comes after an emergency cabinet meeting was held at the First Minister’s official residence on Thursday morning.

Mr Smith’s departure came just weeks after brokering the deal which restored the powersharing administration in Stormont.