‘All conditions now in place’ to restore power-sharing in Northern Ireland, says minister
The government believes “all the conditions are now in place” for a return of power-sharing in Northern Ireland following a deal reached with the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP).
Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris said he was looking forward to the “restoration of the institutions at Stormont as soon as possible” following a near two-year suspension by the DUP in protest against post-Brexit trade arrangements.
Politics latest: Stormont power-sharing deal struck
Mr Heaton-Harris, who said the deal represented a “significant development, denied the agreement was a “secret” deal in response to a question from Sky News.
Asked by deputy political editor Sam Coates what had changed, and whether there were going to be fewer checks on goods going from Great Britain to Northern Ireland, the minister replied: “There are some significant changes but you’ll have to wait until the… all-party talks are finalised.
“And when I publish the deal in parliament, everyone will see what it is.”
Pressed on whether there could be a deal on the basis of a “secret package?”, Mr Heaton-Harris said: “It’s not a secret package.
“It’s been a negotiation, and the negotiation has been between the Democratic Unionist Party and the UK government.”
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DUP agrees to new power-sharing plan
The Northern Ireland secretary said all of the parties in Northern Ireland were not being briefed on the deal and that he would be in a position to reveal the details once they had been finalised.
Although he did not reveal specific details, Mr Heaton Harris confirmed a financial package of ÂŁ3.3bn will be available to the incoming executive.
“I believe that all the conditions are now in place for the Assembly to return, and I look forward very much to the restoration of the institutions at Stormont as soon as possible,” he said.
He also praised DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson for his “leadership” and said it has “never been in doubt” that Sir Jeffrey’s “prime concern was to secure and reinforce Northern Ireland’s place in the union”.
In the early hours of this morning Sir Jeffrey said his party would restore power-sharing in Northern Ireland, subject to the UK government tabling and passing new legislative measures as agreed in negotiations.
Ministers are walking a tightrope to get Stormont up and running
The government is walking the wobbliest of tightropes to try and get Stormont back up and running.
Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris has just welcomed the DUP decision to go back into Stormont.
But he has done so on the basis of a deal that the other parties in Northern Ireland, MPs and the EU havenât seen.
Indeed the people making the decision on Monday night – the DUP executive – havenât seen it either.
Mr Heaton-Harris simply wouldnât be drawn on specifics – was DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson right to say there would be no checks at all on goods from NI to GB? He simply said weâd have to wait to tomorrow to see the deal.
Why the secrecy – fear of DUP having second thoughts? Fear of the EU claiming this is a breach of the Windsor Framework?
Just because theyâre delaying answers to these questions doesnât mean we wonât get them.
He said the package of measures, once delivered, would provide the basis for the return of devolved government.
Power-sharing, the mechanism by which a Stormont executive is formed under the Good Friday Agreement, was collapsed by the DUP‘s refusal to allow a speaker to be nominated in 2022.
The DUP, which won fewer seats than the republican Sinn Fein party for the first time in 2022’s election, highlighted its opposition to Rishi Sunak’s Windsor Framework deal with the EU, which it argues has created a border down the Irish Sea, separating Northern Ireland from Great Britain – a contravention of its principles.
Speaking after Mr Heaton-Harris’s conference, Sinn Fein president Mary Lou McDonald said the re-establishment of the Northern Ireland Assembly had been “a long time coming”, but added: “We are very pleased we are at this juncture.”
She went on to say she was aware there further work to be done and that “society has really suffered from the absence of government over the last two years”.
“I very much welcome the fact that the DUP have moved to explicitly recognise and respect the outcome of that Assembly election, and we look forward to getting the job done.”
When the executive is restored, Sinn Fein vice president Michelle O’Neill is set to become Northern Ireland’s first nationalist first minister – which Ms McDonald described as “a mark, I suppose, of the extent of change that has occurred here in the north, and indeed, right across Ireland”.
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‘Stormont can’t be short-changed’
Alliance Party leader Naomi Long also said she had “bittersweet emotions” following the announcement of the deal.
Read more:
Irish government launches legal challenge against UK’s Northern Ireland Legacy Bill
Northern Ireland grinds to halt amid massive strike action – what’s going on?
Northern Ireland Assembly: What is power sharing and why is the system used?
“I am pleased that we are now potentially in a position to see the restoration of the institutions and to be able to actually start doing all of our jobs after a two-year block on that,” she said.
“I admit I am still slightly stinging from the fact that we have lost that two years, that the damage that has been done can’t simply be undone.”
Under the Good Friday agreement, Northern Ireland operates under a power-sharing model where at least two parties agree to govern together to form a government.
The executive is made up of the job of first minister and deputy first minister.
Following the 2022 election result, in which Sinn Feinn emerged as the largest party, Ms O’Neill is set to be first minister while the DUP will pick the deputy first minister.
Politics
Rayner ‘hoping’ for winter fuel update within weeks – and says she ‘never’ wants to be Labour leader
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner has told Sky News she “hopes” there will be an update on the winter fuel U-turn within weeks.
Ms Rayner also used her interview on Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips to say she “never” wants to lead her party.
Some had suggested recent leaks of her plans for when taxes should change were her testing the waters to run a challenge against Sir Keir Starmer.
Politics latest: Badenoch on two-child cap
Earlier this week, the prime minister confirmed his party was looking to make changes to its controversial slashing of winter fuel payments to pensioners at an upcoming “fiscal event”.
Little clarity was provided on when this would be – the budget in the autumn thought the most likely.
Angela Rayner says she wants the changes announced soon. Pic: PA
Ms Rayner has now suggested the 11 June spending review in just over a fortnight is her preferred date.
She told Sky News: “I think that we’ve got the upcoming spending review, and I’m sure that the chancellor will set it out when we’ve got the opportunity – at the first opportunity Trevor she will set out what we’ll be able to do.”
Asked if changes might be announced at the review, Ms Rayner said: “I hope so, but I don’t know. But I hope so.
“I mean, the prime minister’s announced it, so logically to me that indicates that the prime minister wants to do something in this area.
“And if the prime minister wants to do that, I’m sure the chancellor is going to look at how we can achieve that.”
Read more:
Starmer confirms U-turn on winter fuel
Decision needs ‘strong enough’ economy
Analysis: It could have profound consequences
Never wants to be leader
Some might suggest Ms Rayner’s stance was a bid to push Downing Street into an announcement faster than it previously wanted.
It would add to rumours the deputy prime minister is unhappy with the way Sir Keir and Rachel Reeves are running the government.
However, when asked by Trevor Phillips if she wanted to lead her party, Ms Rayner was unequivocal.
“No. I’m very happy and honoured to be deputy prime minister of this country,” she said.
“And I’ve got a lot in my in-tray to prove that I can do the job that I’m doing and deliver on the milestones for the people in this country.”
She continued: “I have no desire to go for the leadership of the Labour Party.”
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Asked to say the word “never”, Ms Rayner repeated “never”.
Ms Rayner also confirmed a leak inquiry was under way after her proposals on tax and spend sent to the chancellor ended up published in The Daily Telegraph.
Politics
Two-child benefit cap: Pressure grows on Starmer as Reform’s policy move parks tanks on Labour’s lawn
No U-turn comes without a political cost.
This weekend, it has become clear there is a price to pay for Sir Keir Starmer’s decision to row back on winter fuel payment cuts.
One MP said in a text message: “We all want to see more”, while former prime minister Gordon Brown told Sky News this week the two-child benefit cap was “pretty discriminatory” and could be scrapped.
Nigel Farage is expected to call for the two-child benefit cap to be scrapped
The cap, which prevents parents from claiming child tax credit or universal credit for more than two children, is a symbolic sore for Labour that saw seven MPs suspended from the party last year.
Now it’s back to cause more trouble.
A Downing Street source suggests little has changed in the last week, and looking at the cap has always been part of the (now delayed) Child Poverty Strategy.
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‘You’ve got to be fair to pensioners’
But, beyond the whispers behind the scenes, one thing has overtly changed this weekend – growing pressure from Nigel Farage.
We expect Reform UK to announce this week that it will reinstate winter fuel payments and drop the cap.
Mr Farage is parking his tanks on Labour’s lawn, trying to tap into working-class votes on uncomfortable territory for Mr Starmer.
How would they pay for it? A combination of closing asylum hotels, cutting aid, and scrapping net-zero targets, the party says.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch
Headline-grabbing move
The beauty of not being in power is not having to make all the sums add up right now, and it is a headline-grabbing announcement that will, at the very least, reignite the conversation about the two-child cap.
It’s also a reminder that Reform UK, who were beaten by Labour in 89 out of the 98 constituencies they came second in last year, have set their sights beyond the Conservatives.
As for the Tories, who introduced the measure in 2017, leader Kemi Badenoch is clear, saying: “If you can’t afford to have lots of children, then you shouldn’t do so”.
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Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner is hoping for an update on the winter fuel allowance
Blue water between Tories and Reform UK
So, there is blue water between the Conservatives and Reform, but it’s the prime minister and his party that Nigel Farage is targeting now, and Labour is unclear on where it stands.
Deputy leader Angela Rayner told Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips that “lifting any measures that alleviate poverty is not a bad idea”.
More from Sky News:
PM’s winter fuel claim ‘not credible’
Starmer-Reeves Downing St ‘rift’
With the spending review fast approaching, Sir Keir and Chancellor Rachel Reeves will be working out the actual cost, beyond the political one, of rowing back on winter fuel payment cuts.
But will the anger that the policy ignited among some Labour MPs end there? Or will it move to another uncomfortable subject?
As one MP puts it: “If there’s money for pensioners, why not children?”
Pakistan has allocated 2,000 megawatts of surplus electricity exclusively for Bitcoin mining and artificial intelligence centers.
The move is part of a broader digital transformation plan spearheaded by the Pakistan Crypto Council and backed by the Ministry of Finance, according to a May 25 report by local news outlet 24NewsHD TV Channel.
In the first phase, the government plans to channel excess power into AI infrastructure and crypto mining operations. Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said the decision is expected to attract billions in foreign investment while generating high-tech employment across the country.
The initiativeâs second phase will introduce access to renewable energy for mining operations, aiming to balance growth with environmental responsibility.
Related: Trump-backed World Liberty Financial partners with Pakistan Crypto Council
Pakistan unveils tax incentives to attract investors
Per the report, interest from international Bitcoin (BTC) miners and AI firms has already picked up. Officials confirmed that multiple foreign delegations have visited Pakistan in recent months to explore potential partnerships.
To further incentivize investment, the Ministry of Finance announced a package of tax incentives for AI centers and duty exemptions for Bitcoin miners.
Bilal Bin Saqib, CEO of Pakistanâs Crypto Council, reportedly welcomed the development, calling it a âturning pointâ for the countryâs digital economy.
Saqib claimed that with clear regulations and a transparent framework, Pakistan could emerge as a significant player in the global crypto and AI sectors.
Saqib first proposed using the countryâs runoff energy to fuel Bitcoin mining at the Crypto Councilâs inaugural meeting on March 21.
The meeting included lawmakers, the Bank of Pakistanâs governor, the chairman of Pakistanâs Securities and Exchange Commission (SECP), and the federal information technology secretary.
Related: Pakistan proposes compliance-based crypto regulatory framework â Report
Pakistan creates Digital Asset Authority
On May 21, Pakistanâs Ministry of Finance endorsed the creation of a dedicated body to regulate blockchain-based financial infrastructure in the country.
The Pakistan Digital Assets Authority (PDAA) will serve as a regulatory body to oversee licensing and regulating exchanges, custodians, wallets, tokenized platforms, stablecoins, and decentralized finance applications.
The PDAA will also be tasked with tokenizing national assets and government debt, facilitating monetization of Pakistanâs surplus electricity through regulated Bitcoin mining, and helping startups build blockchain-based solutions at scale.
Pakistan ranked highly in Chainalysisâ 2024 crypto adoption index, coming in ninth, mainly due to strong retail adoption and transactions at centralized services.
Data from Statista also shows Pakistanâs crypto market is âexperiencing rapid growth,â estimating the number of crypto users to amount to over 27 million by 2025, out of a population of 247 million.
Magazine: Bitcoin bears eye $69K, CZ denies WLF âfixerâ rumors: Hodlerâs Digest, May 18 â 24
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