Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) officers are to meet on Friday to decide whether to back a deal to return to power-sharing at Stormont.
The DUP is the assembly’s second largest party but it has been blocking a functioning assembly and executive since February 2022.
The party is facing pressure to say if it will back a new deal to end the impasse.
Its officer board is expected to meet at some point on Friday.
Party leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson is a member of the board, along with 11 others whose support is critical if the party’s Stormont boycott is to end.
A final proposal is expected to be put to them.
It was “yay or nay” time, a DUP source told BBC NI.
The development was first revealed by BBC NI’s The Nolan Show.
Northern Ireland’s government collapsed after the DUP withdrew in protest against post-Brexit trade checks between the region and Great Britain.
The UK agreed a new deal with the European Union called the Windsor Framework aimed at addressing issues with the previous deal, the Northern Ireland Protocol.
But the DUP said this did not go far enough and the party has been in talks with the government seeking further changes.
Add Comment