The US ambassador to the UK, Jane Hartley, has stressed the importance of a sitting government to encourage US investment in Northern Ireland. In an interview with the BBC’s Sunday Politics, Hartley said she would encourage DUP leader, Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, to do what he can to return to Stormont. The DUP walked out of the power-sharing government 18 months ago in protest at post-Brexit trade rules. Hartley congratulated Donaldson on a successful conference but reiterated her view that it was important to get “Stormont up and running”.
Speaking about the ongoing negotiations around Brexit, the Windsor Framework, or power-sharing in Northern Ireland, Hartley said the US was not involved, but stressed that it was focused on “having a functioning government in Northern Ireland and that would be Stormont”. She added that the political situation was a factor when she speaks to US companies about investing in Northern Ireland. “Northern Ireland is an amazing community, so much human talent, a great education system, so much potential,” she said. “But all companies, including American companies, like political stability, so if you’re talking to a CEO and encouraging them to look at Northern Ireland, which I always do, it would be important to have a sitting government.”
The ambassador will be coming back to Northern Ireland in a few weeks with the US Special Envoy to Northern Ireland, Joe Kennedy, along with 40 US companies, to “showcase the immense talent” in the workforce. “We strongly encourage a sitting government, but we care deeply about Northern Ireland,” she said. “Stability is important, and having a government to work with is important – particularly in the long run.” The DUP withdrew Paul Givan as first minister in February last year in protest over the Northern Ireland Protocol, which triggered the collapse of power-sharing government.
Earlier this year, the UK and EU agreed changes to the protocol, as part of a deal known as the Windsor Framework. The DUP has since said the framework is not sufficiently different from the protocol and continues to undermine Northern Ireland’s place in the UK. It has been involved in talks with Number 10 for several months in a bid to reach an accommodation, with NI Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris recently saying he believes those negotiations are in their “final stages
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