Conor Burns: No reason for DUP not to be in NI Executive

Minister of State for Northern Ireland Conor Burns has said there is no reason why the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) should not return to the Northern Ireland Executive.

The DUP withdrew from the executive in protest over the NI Protocol.

Mr Burns said the government formed by the next prime minister would sort out the protocol.

He said the absence of an executive was hurting people hit by the cost of living crisis.

"There is no excuse for the DUP not being back in government today," Mr Burns said in an interview for BBC News NI's Good morning Ulster,

"Not having a functioning executive is an impediment for us getting the money that Northern Ireland has been allocated as a result of the decisions taken by Rishi Sunak to help families with the cost of living challenges in England.

"Unless we get an executive we can't help those families in Northern Ireland.

"We will sort the protocol, the DUP should be back in government."

The Northern Ireland Protocol is a special arrangement that keeps Northern Ireland in the EU's single market for goods, avoiding a hard border with the Republic of Ireland.

The arrangement ensured free trade could continue across the Irish land border, which is a sensitive issue because of the history of conflict in Northern Ireland.

But the protocol brought in some new checks on goods moving between Great Britain and Northern Ireland and has been criticised by unionist politicians.

However, the majority of politicians elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly in last month's elections support the arrangements.

DUP MP Sammy Wilson said Mr Burns' claim that the absence of an assembly was hindering the response to the cost of living crisis was "simply untrue".

"We were at the forefront of pushing ministers to make that commitment not to put the money through the executive which I believe would have taken at least nine months to deliver."

Mr Wilson said the DUP's withdrawal from the assembly was its only leverage to ensure the government delivered on its promise to reform the protocol.

Mr Burns, a Conservative MP who was born in Belfast, has backed Liz Truss in the Tory leadership race.

He would not be drawn on whether he has pressed to be given the job of secretary of state for Northern Ireland.

Mr Burns said changes had to be made to the Northern Ireland Protocol not just for unionists, but for the many businesses affected by it.

"Frankly every aspect of unionist opinion wants changes to the way the protocol is being interpreted and applied here on the ground here in Northern Ireland," he said.

"That is a sentiment that is shared in many ways beyond unionism, by businesses whose supply chains are disrupted by the decision of many companies based in England, Scotland and Wales to stop supplying to the Northern Ireland marketplace because of the costs, the certification and the bureaucracy,

"We want to get the protocol, in a way, working for everybody in Northern Ireland, all businesses in Northern Ireland and get it to a point where it commands a greater consent."

He said if this happened the protocol could become a huge benefit to Northern Ireland as a venue for international investment.