DUP officers 'have taken a decision' on the deal to restore power sharing

Sir Jeffrey Donaldson left his party's HQ at Dundela on Monday evening to brief DUP executive members at Larchfield Estate

DUP officers have already taken a decision on the deal aimed at restoring power sharing, the BBC understands.

It is believed they met at the end of last week, but it is not clear if there was a vote taken among the 12 officers.

Though it is understood Sir Jeffrey Donaldson had the support of the majority of officers ahead of the meeting.

The party leader is was expected to tell executive members about the decision taken by the party officers.

Sir Jeffrey Donaldson was providing a "detailed update" on the possible deal to restore power-sharing government at Stormont on Monday evening at a meeting held at Larchfield Estate outside Lisburn.

If there is support for a return to power sharing then it is likely to be conditional on the government tabling any legislation promised in the deal.

The DUP collapsed the executive nearly two years ago in protest against post-Brexit trade arrangements.

The party has been in talks with the UK government seeking changes to the arrangements which were agreed in the UK-EU Windsor Framework deal.

Sir Jeffrey arrived at the party's headquarters in Dundela Avenue in Belfast earlier, before travelling to Monday night's meeting at Larchfield Estate.

He did not make any comment as he entered the meeting.

An email invitation for Monday night's meeting was leaked on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Friday evening.

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• The 12 DUP members key to Stormont's return

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The DUP has more than 120 executive members, including MLAs, party officers and others.

In the email sent to those members, the party's chief executive wrote: "I apologise for the short notice of this meeting but due to circumstances beyond our control the officers... have determined to waive the normal notice period for calling a meeting."

Executive members were also asked not to discuss details of the meeting with the media.

It was supposed to be a secret meeting in a secure location. Members of the DUP Executive weren't even told the venue until a few hours before such was the party's desire to conduct its business away from the prying eyes of the media.

In reality it turned into a nightmare with the loyalist blogger Jamie Bryson tweeting out what he claimed were detailed updates from inside Larchfield Estate.

At one point he claimed the meeting had been halted and descended into "mayhem" with Sir Jeffrey Donaldson saying texts were being sent allowing him to give a "blow by blow" account.

He tweeted that Sir Jeffrey had brought the PSNI in to "try to block phone signals"; the PSNI said it had "no involvement in this".

But if the leaks are accurate its clear Sir Jeffrey believes the time for negotiating is over although at least one person inside the room is determined to make his job even more difficult.

A 'DUP/Sinn Féin carve-up'?

On Monday, Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) leader Doug Beattie told Good Morning Ulster he believed the DUP would make a decision later, at least internally, but they will wait to see what the government does.

"Tonight unelected representatives of the DUP are going to be briefed, in detail about the deal, and here I am as a leader of a party entitled to go into the executive, though who has still not received any briefing about what it involves, and I am hearing that Sinn Féin also understands what the deal involves.

"It looks like there will be a DUP/Sinn Féin carve-up in any executive."

Sinn Féin vice-president Michelle O'Neill has repeatedly called on the DUP to return to power sharing at Stormont

DUP peer and former speaker of the assembly Lord Hay told the programme that the meeting is "very simply to update grassroot members by the party leader of where we're at with the talks with the government".

He added: "The real traitors within unionism are people who continually brief against the party, even within the party, and all they're doing is damaging unionism for now and the future."

'Only one place to go'

Alliance assembly member Nuala McAllister said she was hopeful that the DUP would make the "right decision for everyone in Northern Ireland", and that she detected a shift in tone from the party.

"We've been running out of time for a long time now and really there is only one place to go and that's for the DUP to come back in to an executive and an assembly," she said.

Nuala McAllister's Alliance party is now Stormont's third biggest party, having won 17 seats in the 2022 election

Sinn Féin assembly member Conor Murphy said the "time for prevarication is over" as he reiterated calls for the DUP to return to Stormont power-sharing.

He accused the DUP of "internal party navel-gazing" while public services in Northern Ireland have been facing "enormous challenges" during the absence of an executive.

Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) leader Colum Eastwood said the DUP meeting was "clearly significant".

"This is a moment of decision," he added.

What is likely to be in the deal?

I have not seen the deal offered to the DUP and I haven't been briefed on it, but what seems to be central to the government's offer is that it will opt to limit the UK's active divergence from EU rules on traded goods where that would cause difficulties for Northern Ireland.

Northern Ireland stayed within the EU single market for goods after Brexit, so the EU now requires controls on goods moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland in case non-EU approved products end up in its territory.

The most significant part of the deal will be its implications for how UK goods are imported from Great Britain to Northern Ireland

The Daily Telegraph reported that limiting active divergence would mean new UK laws would have to be screened in relation to EU rules to ensure they do not have any significant adverse impact on trade from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.

So, will the UK actively converge on any EU rule changes for the same purpose? To me, that is the big unanswered question.

Other aspects of the deal are mooted to include:

• An east-west political body similar to the North South Ministerial Council, to discuss mutual interests between Northern Ireland and Great Britain

• A business organisation similar to InterTrade Ireland but focused on boosting trade between Northern Ireland and Great Britain

• The Windsor Framework's green lane being re-named the UK internal market lane

• New legal guarantees of access for Northern Ireland traders selling to Great Britain

There will still be differences in how trade is conducted in Northern Ireland, compared to other parts of the UK, but can that be minimised to an extent that would be acceptable to DUP members?

We'll wait and see.

Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) leader Jim Allister, Baroness Kate Hoey, Ben Habib and Jamie Bryson have jointly published a paper setting out their opposition to any deal.

They warned the DUP against "implementing the union-dismantling protocol" which they say the party once opposed.

In a statement, they said: "The perversion and constitutional obscenity of a partitioning border in the Irish Sea would be given permanency through its acceptance by the DUP, if they return to Stormont now."

TUV leader Jim Allister is among those to publish a paper setting out opposition to any deal

Speaking at Stormont on Monday, Mr Allister said that "if the DUP decides to return to Stormont, it is deciding to accept and take ownership of the protocol".

He added that if the Irish Sea border remained, "it would be a point of no return because that would be accepting that never again would Northern Ireland be a full part of the UK".

'Win-win'

The Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Micheál Martin says it is clear the current offer for Northern Ireland is a win-win.

Mr Martin said he wished to give the DUP time and space to hold their meeting this evening before pre-empting any outcome.

"Well, I think everybody knows I'd like to see the restoration of the executive and the assembly. That said, less is more today," he said.

"I respect the fact that there are meetings and internal discussions, and discussions with UK Government on an ongoing basis for the last number of months."

Mr Martin added that "what has been agreed over time puts Northern Ireland in a very strong position to grow economically".

Last week, the deadline for restoring devolution was extended to 8 February; if there is no executive in place by then, Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris will be under a legal duty to call an election.

It is understood he may instead put new governance arrangements in place including a greater role for London.