Stormont: Sir Jeffrey says DUP approaching a decision

The DUP is "approaching the time" for a decision on returning to Stormont, its leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has said.

The party walked out of government 22 months ago in protest at post-Brexit trade arrangements in NI.

It has been involved in talks with the government aimed at reaching a deal to allow power sharing to be revived.

"I haven't come this far to plan for failure," said Sir Jeffrey, adding that the final stages of a negotiation could be "the most challenging".

"We've made significant progress… there are still some we're engaged with the government on but undoubtedly we're approaching the time when we will be able to examine where we've got to, the progress that's been made and perhaps come to some decisions," he told Good Morning Ulster.

On Wednesday, RTE reported that Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin told his party he believed a deal could be done "within days", but Sir Jeffrey dismissed that as "speculation" and said he had not provided a timeline to anyone.

Earlier on Wednesday, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the government stood ready to legislate to "protect" Northern Ireland's place in the UK internal market.

He said such a move would sit alongside a deal to restore the Northern Ireland Executive and added the government was prepared to work "at pace" to achieve this.

His comments came in response to a question by Sir Jeffrey, who asked the government to amend the UK Internal Market Act to "guarantee and future-proof" Northern Ireland's access to the UK internal market "in all scenarios".

The DUP leader said he was "refining" those issues with the government.

Any deal will need the approval of the DUP's officers who run the party and hold influence over its policy decisions.

Sir Jeffrey said no meeting of officers was planned for Thursday.

He said he didn't know if it would be possible to reach an agreement by the time of the Christmas recess on Tuesday, adding: "We're not yet at the end of the process. Of course I want to get an outcome as soon as possible but I want it to be the right outcome because we don't want to be in this position again in six months' time."

Talks between the government and Northern Ireland's largest political parties over a new £2.5bn financial package were extended on Wednesday.

The package would include a lump sum to settle public sector pay claims and a new "needs-based" funding formula for public services.

It would also allow overspends from last year and this year to be repaid over five years.

Government in Northern Ireland requires the largest unionist and nationalist parties to share power in a coalition government.

Without the DUP's support, the Northern Ireland Executive collapsed, leading to senior civil servants running government departments instead of ministers.

Westminster's announcement of a financial package came as Northern Ireland's five main parties met Heaton-Harris for the first roundtable talks since July.

Parties have had three days of talks at Hillsborough Castle, centred around financial issues.