Northern Ireland: Does new deal pass DUP's seven tests?

Sir Jeffrey Donaldson says the deal meets all seven of the party's post-Brexit tests

The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) didn't just set one threshold to measure the success or failure of any deal with the government, they set seven.

Now the full details of the 76 page deal have been laid bare, the party leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has insisted all seven tests have been met

On the surface it appears the party has ticked all seven boxes.

But some of those boxes are open to interpretation and may be defined differently by the party's opponents.

On the first test - fulfilling article 6 of the Article of Union - the DUP argues it has restored unfettered trade with the rest of the UK through legislation.

When it comes to the second test of avoiding any diversion of trade, the DUP says the removal of internal barriers now takes away the risk of divergence.

Two of the DUP tests involved the removal of the Irish Sea border

Tests number three and number five involved removing the Irish Sea border.

The DUP argues that frontier has now gone because the deal secures the free flow of goods coming from Great Britain into Northern Ireland.

In truth there will still be some checks and paperwork but they will be greatly reduced and are unlikely to affect internal trade.

Stormont brake

Another key test involved giving people in Northern Ireland a say in making the laws under which they are governed.

The DUPs say a mechanism already agreed in Windsor Framework known as the Stormont brake will come in to play ensuring local politicians can veto any new EU rules.

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But ultimately it will be up to the government in London to deploy that veto.

To ensure there's no new regulatory border between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK - test number six - the deal commits the government to screen new laws to ensure they don't impact on Northern Ireland's place in the UK.

The final test calls for a constitutional guarantee that Northern Ireland's place within the UK will be preserved. This again falls under the legislation agreed in the deal.

Though the DUP will argue all seven tests have been met, expect the party's political opponents to try and expose where the deal falls short.