The agreement between the British government and the Democratic Unionist Party addresses immediate challenges but falls short of resolving Northern Ireland’s Brexit conundrum. When the Windsor Framework emerged from the negotiations between the European Union and the British government in February 2023, Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) stood in firm opposition. For the DUP, the Windsor agreement and its contentious precursor, the Northern Ireland Protocol, undermined Northern Ireland’s standing within the UK. The party changed its stance, however, after striking an agreement with the British government in late January. The deal has led to the restoration of power-sharing in Northern Ireland, breaking the two-year impasse caused by the unionists’ refusal to enter the Northern Ireland Assembly, the region’s devolved parliament.
Author: Anton Spisak, Policy analyst, Former UK government official.
This text has originally been published on the CER website.
