Leaders and officials of political parties are set to meet on Friday to discuss the issues that an incoming Stormont executive may face in Northern Ireland. After two years since power-sharing collapsed, the Northern Ireland Assembly is set to sit on Saturday 29 October. Leader of Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has confirmed that his party will end the boycott. On Thursday, party leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said that given new legislation to implement those changes had passed the Commons, he would now support the Stormont institutions being restored.
It has been reported by BBC News NI that Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) in Northern Ireland are expected to have their full salaries restored in the coming days, which have seen a reduction of almost one-third since January 2023, enacted by Secretary of State Chris Heaton-Harris. The determination will expire at the end of Sunday, the day after a new Assembly Speaker is elected.
On Saturday 29 October, members of the assembly will elect a new Speaker as they enter the assembly chamber; this should be done before proceeding with any other order of business. Once the Speaker is elected, the parties entitled to jointly lead the executive will make their nominations as they have the power to make decisions and policies in Northern Ireland.
After winning the most seats in the assembly, for the first time, Sinn Féin will nominate a first minister. The DUP, the unionist party that holds the most seats, will nominate a deputy first minister. While the first and deputy first ministers are joint offices, other factors will symbolically make the nomination of Michelle O’Neill as Northern Ireland’s first ever republican first minister a crucial moment. The new deal is expected to lead to the reduction of checks and paperwork on goods moving from the rest of the UK into Northern Ireland, removing “routine” checks on Great Britain goods which are sent to Northern Ireland
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