More work required for Stormont deal, says Sir Jeffrey Donaldson

The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader says more work is needed before a deal can be done to restore Stormont.

Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said some people were getting "overexcited" about the prospect of a deal, with all-party talks happening on Monday.

They will be the first roundtable talks the government has held with the five largest parties since July.

The DUP has been boycotting power sharing for 22 months in protest against post-Brexit trade arrangements.

On Sunday the UK government denied a claim that it has concluded negotiations with the DUP on post-Brexit trade arrangements.

Earlier Sinn Féin had issued a statement that said: "The British government has confirmed to the Sinn Féin leadership that the Windsor Framework negotiation with the DUP is now over, and concluded."

A spokesperson for the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) said this is "totally incorrect" and discussions with the DUP continue.

In response, a DUP spokesperson said there remains further work before they would consider negotiations over.

"Sinn Féin has not been a part of the process and therefore, regardless of what they are being told, they will not be in a position to make pronouncements on the issues," they added.

It comes as the five largest Stormont parties are invited to meet the Northern Ireland secretary at Hillsborough Castle to talk about public finances.

But the subject of the DUP's ongoing negotiations with the government is likely to loom large.

Sir Jeffrey told members over the weekend that Monday's roundtable talks were "distinct from our discussions with the government" regarding the Windsor Framework.

"Those talks continue to make progress, but more work is required to conclude that process if we are to have arrangements acceptable to unionists as well as nationalists," he said.

The party has argued the post-Brexit trade arrangements in place undermine Northern Ireland's position in the UK internal market.

It has blocked the election of an assembly speaker on a number of occasions, preventing the formation of an Executive.

Talks between the government and the DUP aimed at ending the hiatus have been happening for months, with Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris saying last month that negotiations were in the "final, final stages".

Sir Jeffrey added that Monday's meeting represented a "step forward" in talks with the government aimed at changing how Northern Ireland is funded.

"We will be clear with the government on Monday that we need to get a solution with recurring funding which enables us to invest in our schools and hospitals as well as pay our public servants appropriately," he said.

It is up to Mr Heaton-Harris to set a budget for Northern Ireland while there is no executive.

In April he did so for 2023-24 but it saw Stormont departments facing difficult decisions and having to implement some cuts.

The Northern Ireland secretary has also been urged by various health, education and transport unions to take action on pay awards in recent months.

He maintains he does not have powers to act in this area and in recent weeks different unions have gone on strike or notified the public of upcoming strike action.

Sinn Féin previously urged him to "call time" on talks with the DUP, insisting that the process must now end within days and lead to the re-establishment of an executive and assembly.

Alliance has called for a formal deadline to be set, while the Ulster Unionist Party and the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) have also criticised the length of time it has taken to bring matters to a conclusion.

SDLP Leader Colum Eastwood said his party was not going to Hillsborough for a "cosy catch up".

"The SDLP is entering these discussions with three key priorities. They must generate the final momentum to restore the executive, there must be a serious plan to rescue public services and we need to hear how a fair pay reward for public sector workers out on strike will be resourced," he said.

"Anything else is a waste of time."