NI Exec Set To Return As Brexit Border Checks Kick In (1/2)

The UK gov't and political parties in Northern Ireland have reached an agreement that will see the power-sharing executive in Stormont restored after two years. This sets up for the historical moment where a representative of the hard-line republican Sinn Fein, once the political wing of the Irish Republican Army (IRA), will for the first time serve as Northern Ireland's First Minister. Negotiations that concluded on 30 Jan indicated that an agreement would be forthcoming that removes all checks on goods being transported from Great Britain to Northern Ireland, a key demand of the hard-line unionist Democratic Unionist Party (DUP).

• A 'Command paper' on the details of the deal is expected today (31 Jan), before the House of Commons holds binding votes on two statutory instruments that will change the relevant legislation on 1 Feb. In past years, getting Brexit/NI-related legislation through the Commons was a minefield for prime minsiters, and indeed it contributed to the end of Theresa May's tenure. However, the opposition Labour Party is set to support the SI's, and the cohort of Brexit hard-liners in the Conservative party is likely too small to result in the instruments' defeats.
• Should the DUP be content with the detailed command paper, Sinn Fein's Vice President Michelle O'Neill could become First Minsiter as soon as the weekend. The resumption of the power-sharing executive is set to release GPB3.3bn of previously-frozen funding.