Northern Ireland

It has had one of the highest Covid rates in the world – far in excess of other parts of the UK and the neighbouring Republic. So what is going on in Northern Ireland?

A century since partition, Northern Ireland is torn on the effects of language on the process of peace. It’s a cultural battle that signals both fear and optimism for the future of a troubled land.

Nowhere are the consequences of Brexit being felt more acutely than in Northern Ireland, where the tensions are continuing to rise and the full ramifications are yet to play out Five years ago this month Arlene Foster was in France to cheer on Northern Ireland’s heroics in Euros 2016. Just months into her stint as first […]

A former special adviser to Arlene Foster has warned that the election of the DUP’s new leader will leave a “toxic legacy” with voters. Foster resigned her position as first minister at Stormont this week after she was ousted as party leader and replaced by Edwin Poots. A number of councillors have left the party […]

Ulster Unionist leader Doug Beattie has defended his attendance at an illegal protest against the Northern Ireland Protocol in Co Armagh. The Upper Bann MLA said he turned up at the event on Saturday to observe and listen, and said he was standing well back from the parade. Loyalists gathered in Portadown town centre on […]

The EU’s ambassador to the UK has accused new DUP leader Edwin Poots of making comments about the post-Brexit Northern Ireland Protocol that lack “adherence to reality”. Joao Vale de Almeida was asked about Poots saying that the agreement was “demonstrable harm to every individual in Northern Ireland” and is having a “devastating impact”. The […]

First minister Arlene Foster has accused the EU of having a “tin ear” to concerns about the Northern Ireland Protocol. Foster was speaking after European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said the protocol needs to be implemented. A new raft of checks on goods at the ports of Belfast and Larne under the terms […]

Arlene Foster is set to meet prime minister Boris Johnson for the last time as Northern Ireland’s first minister later. The outgoing DUP leader announced her resignation last month following an internal revolt within her party. Edwin Poots was narrowly elected to be her successor over Jeffrey Donaldson last week. Poots is expected to appoint […]

The use of violence in opposition to the Northern Ireland protocol is a “last resort” but not “off the table”, a member of the Loyalist Communities Council has said. Representatives from the LCC appeared before the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee (NIAC) on Wednesday, as part of its inquiry into the Brexit protocol. Committee chairman Simon […]

The UK’s Brexit negotiator has admitted the government underestimated the impact of Brexit on Northern Ireland. David Frost, who led the talks with the EU, said the disruption to trade between Great Britain and the country had been far greater than what was expected. Speaking to a committee of MPs he said there had been […]

An agreed approach is “urgently required” between the UK and EU to avoid any restriction in the availability of medicines in Northern Ireland, a draft government document has warned. The UK government has also set out plans for a phased approach to new Irish Sea border checks on food, in a Northern Ireland Protocol document […]

The incoming DUP leader has said getting rid of the Northern Ireland Protocol will be his top priority in the coming months. Edwin Poots said he is planning a showdown with Boris Johnson and Taoiseach Michael Martin within his first 90 days in office to try and resolve the post-Brexit trade arrangements. Stormont’s current agriculture […]

Edwin Poots has been elected as the new leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), party chair Lord Morrow has announced. The results follow the party’s first ever leadership contest. The 36 members of the party’s electoral college, made up of its MPs and Stormont Assembly members, were eligible to vote in the race between Sir […]

The first leadership vote in the history of the DUP will take place on Friday afternoon. The 36 members of the party’s electoral college, made up of its MPs and Stormont Assembly members, will be able to cast their votes for either Jeffrey Donaldson and Edwin Poots between 12pm and 4pm in east Belfast. Ahead […]

A legal challenge by unionists to the Northern Ireland Protocol is set to begin. The judicial review is being taken in the name of unionists from across the UK, including DUP leader Arlene Foster, UUP leader Steve Aiken, TUV leader Jim Allister and Belfast Agreement architect Lord Trimble. It will be heard by Mr Justice […]

Brexit minister Lord Frost has once again urged the EU to take a “common sense, risk-based approach” to the Brexit arrangements in Northern Ireland. He said the UK and the EU must find a solution “rapidly” after he and Northern Ireland secretary Brandon Lewis met business and community representatives in Northern Ireland during the two-day […]

Amid the turmoil in the DUP is a deeper question for unionists… should they retrench into hard-line ‘Ulster Says No’ politics or seek a recalibration? Wet flags flapping against telegraph poles under dark skies amid tentative post-lockdown re-openings of retail sectors on a stormy Bank Holiday Monday in Northern Ireland seemed an appropriate backdrop to yet […]

Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, a Westminster MP, is one of two candidates to announce a bid to replace Arlene Foster as DUP leader. The longstanding Lagan Valley MP said he would promote a positive strategy and values if elected, with a focus on building a shared future for everyone in Northern Ireland. The party’s current Westminster leader […]

Arlene Foster has said none of her DUP colleagues who moved to oust her have contacted her to explain why. The outgoing DUP leader and Stormont first minister said politics is “brutal” and she has endured a “turbulent” week, but she insisted she is “at peace” with her decision to leave the local political scene […]

Arlene Foster has resigned as Northern Ireland first minister and leader of the DUP following an internal revolt. Foster will step down as party leader on May 28 and first minister at the end of June, paving the way for a leadership contest to replace her as Northern Ireland’s next head of state. “It has been the […]

Arlene Foster’s future as DUP leader continues to hang in the balance after party colleagues mounted a heave against Stormont’s first minister. It is understood a significant number of DUP politicians have signed a letter of no confidence in Foster that was circulated among party MLAs, MPs and peers. If those numbers are confirmed and […]

Arlene Foster has played down suggestions her leadership of the DUP is under threat. Stormont’s first minister was responding to reports of internal unrest within the party. The Belfast News Letter has reported that several DUP constituency associations have written letters expressing concern at her decision to abstain on a recent Assembly vote on a […]