The UK and Ireland have submitted their final bid to jointly host Euro 2028.
The four home nations’ football associations and the Football Association of Ireland have pledged in the bid to provide “Football for all, Football for good. Football for the future.”
They have also revealed the final list of stadiums they are proposing to host matches, with some notable grounds absent from the list.
The 10 proposed grounds are:
• Wembley Stadium – London • National Stadium of Wales – Cardiff • Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – London • City of Manchester Stadium – Manchester • Everton Stadium – Liverpool • St James’ Park – Newcastle • Villa Park – Birmingham • Hampden Park – Glasgow • Dublin Arena – Dublin • Casement Park – Belfast
Old Trafford in Manchester, Croke Park in Dublin, the Stadium of Light in Sunderland, and London Stadium, which were on the original longer list, all failed to make the final cut.
The bid says: “The UK and Ireland share a proud reputation as world-leading event destinations which have successfully staged some of the biggest global sporting tournaments – backed by strong government support.
“This includes the recent record-breaking UEFA Women’s EURO 2022.
“We are delighted that our government partners are fully committed to hosting UEFA EURO 2028.
“They have signed the relevant tournament guarantees and will ensure the event is fully supported.
“This will create a welcoming, exciting and safe football experience that players and fans will enjoy in every city and every game.”
The UK and Ireland’s rival bid is from Turkey, the only other nation that has confirmed interest in hosting the tournament.
Russia had also expressed an interest in hosting, but UEFA declared the bid ineligible over the war in Ukraine.
UEFA is expected to make a final decision on where the tournament will be held in September.
US President Joe Biden says his trip to the island of Ireland will underscore the United States’ commitment to peace and prosperity.
He is due to arrive in Belfast later, where he’ll be met by the UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
The pair will hold a bilateral meeting on Wednesday, after which President Biden will deliver remarks commemorating the Good Friday Agreement at Ulster University.
The US president is also expected to meet representatives from all five of Northern Ireland’s main political parties.
Ahead of his trip, he tweeted: “25 years ago, Northern Ireland’s leaders chose peace.
“The Belfast/Good Friday Agreement ended decades of violence and brought stability.
“I look forward to marking the anniversary in Belfast, underscoring the US commitment to preserving peace and encouraging prosperity.”
The president will arrive in Northern Ireland the day after petrol bombs were thrown at a police vehicle in Londonderry during an Easter parade.
Addressing the issue of violence, White House spokesman John Kirby told a press briefing: “As for security concerns, you know we don’t ever talk about security requirements of protecting the president but the president is more than comfortable making this trip and he’s very excited to do it.”
Following Wednesday’s scheduled events in Belfast, President Biden will travel south to Ireland, where he’ll hold meetings with the Irish President Michael Higgins and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar.
He’s due to address a joint session of the Irish parliament and will attend a banquet dinner in Dublin Castle.
The president’s attendance at events to mark the anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement reflects the US’ influence in helping to underpin peace in Northern Ireland.
In Washington DC, he is recognised as a politician who worked towards a breakthrough long before it came 25 years ago.
Read more: Good Friday Agreement 25 years on – how it led to peace, hope and paralysis
Stella O’Leary, chair of the Irish-American lobby group, was appointed by President Biden in 2022 to be US observer to the International Fund for Ireland. It has been used over decades to help promote peace and co-existence in Northern Ireland.
Ms O’Leary told Sky News: “The United States has given half a billion dollars to that fund to maintain the peace. It was in existence from 1986 and it formed the foundation of the peace agreement. So it’s been a long time and Joe Biden was in there from the start.
“He facilitated the funding of the International Fund, with many others – it was a bipartisan effort.
“Ireland has a great debt to America for the role it’s played and he is a representative of that commitment.”
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0:15
Police vehicle attacked on Good Friday Agreement anniversary
Mr Biden’s four-day trip will be a combination of formal and family. A descendant of Irish immigrants to the United States, he will visit County Louth and County Mayo, from where his ancestors left for America in the 19th century.
He will deliver remarks at St. Muredach’s Cathedral in Ballina, County Mayo, to which his great-great-great-grandfather Edward Blewitt sold 27,000 bricks in 1827. The bricks were used to build the cathedral and their sale helped to fund Edward’s passage to the US with his family in 1851.
In Scranton, Pennsylvania, where his ancestors settled and where he spent the first 10 years of his life, the Irish-American community celebrates the achievements of one of their own.
Nearly a quarter of the city’s population have Irish blood. They include members of the Joyce School of Irish Dance, where we gauged the view on the local boy on the big stage.
Brigid King, 20, told Sky News: “It’s a very cool thing. I was raised very proud to be Irish, it was always a big thing in my family. So to have somebody in power who is Irish, very proud of where he came from, even though not being born in Ireland, is a very cool thing. He’s someone that shares the same passion as I do.”
The terror threat level in Northern Ireland has increased from “substantial” to “severe” meaning an attack is highly likely, the government has said.
Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris told the House of Commons that the decision was made by MI5, independent of ministers.
In a written ministerial statement he said: “MI5 has increased the threat to Northern Ireland from Northern Ireland Related Terrorism from ‘SUBSTANTIAL’ (an attack is likely) to ‘SEVERE’ (an attack is highly likely).
“The public should remain vigilant, but not be alarmed, and continue to report any concerns they have to the Police Service of Northern Ireland.
“Over the last 25 years, Northern Ireland has transformed into a peaceful society. The Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement demonstrates how peaceful and democratic politics improve society. However, a small number of people remain determined to cause harm to our communities through acts of politically motivated violence.
“In recent months, we have seen an increase in levels of activity relating to Northern Ireland Related Terrorism, which has targeted police officers serving their communities and also put at risk the lives of children and other members of the public. These attacks have no support, as demonstrated by the reaction to the abhorrent attempted murder of DCI Caldwell.
“I pay tribute to the tremendous efforts of the Police Service of Northern Ireland and security partners, and the determination and resilience of the Northern Ireland people, who are making Northern Ireland a safer place to live and work. The political future of Northern Ireland rests with the democratic will of the people and not the violent actions of the few. Together we will ensure there is no return to the violence of the past.”
Joe Biden will visit Northern Ireland following a formal invitation from Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
The invitation was extended as the pair met for talks in San Diego to announce a nuclear submarine deal with Australia.
“It’s my intention to go to Northern Ireland and the Republic,” Mr Biden said as they met in Point Loma naval base.
Mr Sunak told the president: “I look forward to our conversations and also importantly, to invite you to Northern Ireland, which hopefully you will be able to do and so we can commemorate the anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.
“I know it’s something very special and personal to you. We’d love to have you over.”
Mr Biden said: “Twenty-five years? It seems like yesterday.”
Details of Mr Biden’s visit to Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland are expected to be revealed soon.
The US president often highlights his Irish roots and has taken a keen interest in issues related to the agreement.
Mr Sunak revealed Mr Biden had also invited him to visit Washington DC in June.
Following the talks, he told reporters: “It’s great that we’re going to see each other a lot over the next few months.
“I was pleased to accept the president’s invitation to visit him in DC in June.”
Image: The GFA was signed by Tony Blair (right) and Bertie Ahern (taoiseach at the time)
What is the Good Friday Agreement?
The Good Friday Agreement (GFA) was signed with the aim to end the ongoing conflict in Northern Ireland at the time, known as the Troubles, which started in the late 1960s. The agreement was signed on 10 April 1998.
A new government was formed in Northern Ireland representing both sides in order to foster cooperation between the two communities.
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2:45
What is the Windsor Framework?
But Brexit rocked the political situation, with Northern Ireland being the only UK country to have a border with an EU nation – the Republic of Ireland.
Checks on the border would disrupt the GFA, according to both nations, so the controversial Northern Ireland Protocol was agreed in order to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland.
The UK has since agreed to the Windsor Framework with the EU in an attempt to overcome the issues with the protocol.
The new post-Brexit deal was designed to reduce the number of checks on goods entering Northern Ireland ports by designating two lanes. Products travelling through Northern Ireland to reach the Republic – which is in the EU – will go via a red lane for all the relevant customs checks, while those being sent only to Northern Ireland will go via a green lane.
Rishi Sunak has negotiated a deal on Northern Ireland and Brexit which his predecessors Liz Truss, Boris Johnson and Theresa May could not have secured.
Having convinced the EU figures he was a serious prime minister they do business with, Mr Sunak has produced a deal that has already turned the heads and won the support of several leading Brexiteers.
Follow live updates on new post-Brexit deal
Here are the five key sections of the text. The areas highlighted in yellow show exactly why they matter.
A fundamental truth remains, however.
Yes, Westminster will take back control of tax and subsidy rates in Northern Ireland.
Yes, there will be fewer checks on goods going from the mainland to Northern Ireland and yes, it appears Northern Ireland politicians will be able to block new EU rules.
However, Northern Ireland will remain in parts of the single market, ultimately overseen by EU judges.
This is the consequence of the deal that Boris Johnson struck in 2019, and cannot change.
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2:40
PM hails ‘decisive breakthrough’
Read more: Sunak unveils ‘Windsor Framework’ deal on Brexit What is the Northern Ireland Protocol? What are the DUP’s seven tests?
It is now for politicians of all stripes to decide what they can accept, and how far the deal goes to satisfying their whims.
The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) must now decide its approach.
Key MPs will make up their mind. The EU will watch whether Mr Sunak pulls his protocol bill.
It only takes 37 Tories to make Mr Sunak’s life hellish by voting with the opposition.
Rishi Sunak says Britain and the EU have an understanding on what needs to be done around the Northern Ireland Protocol, but that work still needs to be done.
The prime minister spoke about where things stand following his speech at the Munich Security Conference, saying that Britain wanted to have a positive relationship with the EU.
So what is actually going on?
I thought we had a Brexit deal, what is this agreement that Rishi Sunak is trying to get?
These talks are all about the part of the Brexit deal that relates to Northern Ireland.
Dubbed the “Northern Ireland Protocol”, it was agreed with the EU by Boris Johnson in 2020 – alongside the wider trade and co-operation treaty.
The point of it is to avoid a hard physical border on the island of Ireland – the only place where there is a land frontier between the UK and EU.
All parties agreed this was necessary to preserve peace on the island.
The protocol does this by placing Northern Ireland in a far tighter relationship with the EU, compared with the rest of the UK.
Since the Brexit deal fully came into force at the start of 2021, there has been an ongoing process to iron out the various issues it has thrown up relating to Northern Ireland.
That has escalated over time to the point where a new agreement is now being worked on.
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2:36
There’s new hope of a breakthrough to end years of deadlock between the UK and the European Union over post-Brexit trade arrangements
What practical changes are needed?
To avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland, physical checks take place when goods cross the Irish Sea from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.
Companies and traders in Northern Ireland also have to comply with EU single market rules.
This has all caused friction in the flows of goods coming from England, Wales and Scotland with shortages of certain items in shops and onerous paperwork for businesses.
EU rules on food stuffs has also meant a potential ban on sausages and other “chilled meats” coming from Great Britain.
There are also upsides of the deal though. As Northern Ireland essentially still has one foot in the EU single market, it’s easier for businesses there to trade on the continent.
What’s been the political fallout in Belfast?
Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) unionist politicians in Belfast believe Northern Ireland is being carved out from the rest of the UK and treated in too different a fashion.
This stems in part from the practical problems being experienced by businesses.
There’s also concern over a so-called “democratic deficit” whereby Northern Ireland takes on rules from Brussels that it has no say over.
There are more ideological issues too. The role played by the European Court of Justice is a big sticking point.
Because Northern Ireland is still subject to EU rules, Brussels believes its court should have a heavy involvement in resolving disputes.
The DUP and some Conservative MPs see this as an erosion of the UK’s sovereignty and incompatible with the aims of Brexit.
Image: The iconic site of Harland & Wolff’s shipyard in Belfast
How does this relate to the Northern Ireland assembly?
The DUP is one of two parties that shares power in the devolved government in Northern Ireland.
But the party has been staging a boycott and refusing to allow this executive to form or the elected assembly to sit until its concerns over the Brexit deal are addressed.
This has meant the democratic institutions that are supposed to be running public services in Northern Ireland and representing voters haven’t been functioning properly for more than a year.
Sinn Fein – the republican party that also shares powers in Belfast – has urged the DUP to approve the changes to the Brexit deal and go back into power-sharing as soon as possible.
What will be in the new deal?
We don’t really know. Downing Street has been keeping quiet about the details.
Speculation is that parts of it will look quite similar to plans outlined by the UK last year.
There may be a “green lane” and “red lane” system to separate goods destined for Northern Ireland from those at risk of being transported to the Republic and on to the EU.
This should reduce the need for physical checks and paperwork. Some sort of compromise is also likely on the role of the European Court of Justice.
There could potentially be a mechanism whereby the ECJ can only decide on a dispute after a referral from a separate arbitration panel or a Northern Irish court.
Read more: Britain and EU NI deal ‘by no means done’ Northern Ireland election delayed until January 2024
Will the DUP support it?
This is the big unknown. The party has come up with seven “tests” that it will apply to any deal when deciding whether to back it.
These contain some specific requests, such as there being no checks on goods going from Great Britain to Northern Ireland and no border in the Irish Sea.
But there are also broader points such as allowing the people of Northern Ireland the same privileges as everyone else in the United Kingdom and guaranteeing the letter and spirit of the Good Friday Agreement.
There are also electoral considerations, a sizeable chunk of the unionist community in Northern Ireland believes the DUP should only go back into power-sharing if the Northern Ireland Protocol is scrapped completely.
So if the DUP is seen to cave too easily, the party could lose voters to more hard line rivals.
Will Tory MPs support it?
Again, we just don’t know. It’s also unclear whether MPs will actually get a Commons vote on the new agreement. Downing Street hasn’t committed to one.
But not allowing MPs to have a say would risk inflaming tensions with backbenchers.
The main audience the prime minister needs to please here is the “European Research Group” of pro-Brexit MPs.
They claim otherwise, but the caucus isn’t really as powerful as it was a few years ago.
Many senior members are now in government including the Home Secretary Suella Braverman, the Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris and his junior minister Steve Baker.
They will all need to be happy before the deal is published. In fact, they could play a part in getting Eurosceptic colleagues on board.
The reaction of Boris Johnson could also prove crucial. If the former prime minister came out against his successor’s deal, that could galvanise backbench anger.
Labour has said it will lend Rishi Sunak votes if he can’t push the deal through on his own. But this would be an embarrassing development for the prime minister that would risk further instability in his own party.
What happens if Rishi Sunak can’t get everybody on board?
The prime minister can live with some dissent from his MPs. Failing to win the support of the DUP is more serious though, as it means the party will continue to block the formation of the devolved executive in Belfast.
If the objections from the DUP seem less forceful, Mr Sunak could proceed anyway and hope they eventually come onboard after May’s local elections.
If he runs into a solid roadblock with both his MPs and the DUP and can’t get further concessions from the EU, then there is still the option of invoking the Northern Ireland Protocol Act.
This is UK legislation currently making its way through Parliament that would strip away parts of the Brexit deal without the approval of the EU.
Many see it as contravening international law and using it risks a trade war with Brussels. That’s something the government could do without, given the delicate economic situation.
What if Rishi Sunak gets his deal through with support from everybody?
If the prime minister can fix the Brexit deal, restore power-sharing in Belfast and keep his party together then it will be the undeniable high point of his time in Downing Street so far.
He will be able to claim that he solved an issue that has bedevilled his three predecessors.
It also has the potential of being a significant political inflexion point.
If the economic situation improves and he can also bring forward tangible action on strikes and Channel crossings, then there is a chance that the gloomy electoral outlook for the government begins to brighten.
But I thought Boris Johnson said Brexit was done?
Yes, he did. He also promised that his deal would not lead to a border in the Irish Sea.
At the time, many inside and outside of politics warned that the text of the agreement he signed would mean checks between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
The former prime minister and his allies now say no one expected the EU to enforce the agreement in such a strict and inflexible way. The real answer to all this may lie in the politics of the time.
In 2019, Boris Johnson was eager to get a deal agreed with Brussels and campaign in a general election on the back of it.
This meant some of the thornier parts of the treaty were somewhat played down at the time. But it also stored up problems that Rishi Sunak is now trying to fix.
If this deal goes through, will Brexit then be done?
It will be more “done” than it ever has been. But overall, not really.
For a start, the Northern Ireland Protocol has a consent mechanism built into it, meaning that members of the devolved assembly in Belfast will vote next year on whether to keep the arrangement.
If a simple majority of Stormont members approves the deal, then it will remain in place for four years, at which point another vote will take place.
If it passes with a higher approval percentage in both unionist and republican parties, then the next vote will happen in eight years’ time. Then there’s the issue of the UK signing trade deals with other countries around the world.
This could mean changes to domestic rules and regulations that would have a knock-on impact for Northern Ireland and for the UK’s broader relationship with the EU.
Future governments may also decide to take a different approach with Brussels meaning Brexit and the country’s relationship with its closest neighbours will stay a live issue for a good time yet.
Britain and the EU have an understanding on what needs to be done to resolve issues surrounding the Northern Ireland Protocol but a deal is “by no means done”, Rishi Sunak has said.
Speaking during a question and answer session after his speech at the Munich Security Conference, the prime minister said Britain wanted to have a positive relationship with the bloc.
But he said that there were “real issues that need resolving”.
“The way that the protocol has been implemented, it’s causing very real challenges for families, for people, for businesses on the ground,” he said.
“We’re engaging in those conversations with the European Union all the time and we have been for a while, but what I’d say is there is still work to do.
“There are still challenges to work through. We have not resolved all these issues.
“No, there isn’t a deal that has been done, there is an understanding of what needs to be done.”
Mr Sunak added that “we’re working through (the issues) hard and we will work through them intensely with the EU, but we are by no means done”.
It comes after Sinn Fein’s leader Mary Lou McDonald said “significant progress” had been made to resolve the row over the Northern Ireland Protocol and a deal is “very much game on”.
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2:36
Hope of NI Brexit breakthrough
Speaking after discussions with Mr Sunak, who was in Northern Ireland on Friday to hold talks with political leaders, she told reporters: “We have always believed that a deal on the protocol was possible and we’ve always known it was necessary.
“It is clear that significant progress has been made and we are very heartened by that. We now want to see a speedy concluding of matters.
Read more: Prime minister visits Belfast for talks on Northern Ireland Protocol Rishi Sunak and Ursula von der Leyen promise to ‘work together’ on Northern Ireland
“The bottom line is that we have to ensure that any deal provides for ongoing access to the European single market, no hardening of the border on the island of Ireland and a protection of the Good Friday Agreement in all of its parts.
“It seems to us that it’s very much game on.”
Image: Mary Lou McDonald with Michelle O’Neill
She said if these terms are reached it is then “a matter for everyone, for each of the political parties to step up, get back to work and deliver for people here in the north of Ireland”.
This is likely aimed at the DUP and other unionists, who have collapsed the Stormont assembly in protest over the protocol.
Mr Sunak travelled to Belfast, along with Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris, to meet Stormont leaders amid mounting speculation a deal on post-Brexit trading arrangements could be days away.
After emerging from talks with Mr Sunak, DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said while “progress has been made” on the Northern Ireland Protocol, there is “still some work required”.
Image: DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson
He warned that “if and when a final agreement is reached, we will want to carefully consider the detail of that agreement and decide if the agreement does, in fact meet our seven tests”.
These “seven tests” were set out by the party in 2021 and include no new checks of any sort on goods being traded between GB and NI.
Asked if he will compromise on these tests for a deal to pass muster, Sir Jeffrey said it “is not a question of compromising”, but rather the “UK government honouring the commitments they’ve made”.
Rishi Sunak may not want to look like he is jumping the gun over new deal
Rishi Sunak very much downplaying reports that there could be a deal revealed as soon as Monday.
I guess the question is, whether that is an indication of genuine delays and problems and that there may not be something coming in the imminent future, or whether this is more strategy.
I think when you look at some of the choreography of the last few days, discussions going on in Belfast, the foreign secretary in Brussels yesterday, and meetings with EU leaders in Munich, it feels like there is something more substantial that is moving there.
So what may be going on, quite frankly, is an attempt not to sound too presumptuous in terms of revealing a deal without the DUP’s permission. Because of course, it is the DUP, unionist politicians in Northern Ireland, that really need to approve of this deal.
Because if they don’t, they will refuse to go back into power-sharing in Belfast and it means the democratic institutions, the executive, and the assembly there, won’t sit again.
So Rishi Sunak is trying to keep multiple audiences happy here, and that is potentially why he doesn’t want to sound too presumptuous or looking like he is jumping the gun in announcing any potential deal on the Northern Ireland Protocol.
The mechanism has left Northern Ireland without a devolved power-sharing executive since early last year.
The protocol has overshadowed Northern Irish politics since it was agreed upon as part of the Brexit deal in a bid to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland.
Members of the unionist community are unhappy with the difficulties it creates for trade between Northern Ireland and Great Britain, with the DUP refusing to cooperate with forming a devolved Executive in Stormont until the issues are resolved.
What is the Northern Ireland Protocol and why does it matter?
The UK government says the protocol is not working and wants to override it with new legislation if the EU does not agree to changes – a move Brussels has warned is “illegal and unrealistic”.
However, tensions have cooled in recent months, with both sides pledging to work together to find a way forward.
Last month, the EU and the UK said there was a “new basis” for resolving the Northern Ireland Protocol row after an agreement was reached in sharing trade data.
Swathes of the UK are set for a wild and windy night as the Met Office issued warnings for much of the west of the country on Monday night.
Rain and strong winds are forecast across parts of Northern Ireland, Wales and southwest England between 6pm and midnight.
Travel disruption is expected as the Met Office predicts a “short period of very strong winds” with gusts of 50-60 mph, perhaps hitting as high as 70mph in coastal areas.
It added that a “short period of very heavy rain and squally winds” is “likely to cause some disruption, with some delays to road, rail, air and ferry transport considered likely”.
Train and bus services will also “probably” be affected with journey times taking longer, thanks to spray and temporary flooding on roads.
Some short term loss of power and other services is also possible with a chance of hail and lightning in a few places.
The Environment Agency issued five flood warnings on Monday for Alfriston, Barcombe Mills and Hellingly and Horsebridge, in East Sussex and for Mock Bridge, near Shermanbury, West Sussex, on the River Adur.
What’s the weather in your area?
It warns Whitwell, Wroxall, Langbridge and Alverstone on the river Eastern Yar in the Isle of Wight are at risk of flooding.
A second yellow warning for rain was issued from 3pm until midnight for southwest Scotland, Lothian Borders and Strathclyde.
The areas expected to be affected are Dumfries and Galloway, Scottish Borders, East Ayrshire, South Ayrshire and South Lanarkshire.
Alexander Burkill, senior operational meteorologist at the Met Office, said: “Two warnings have been issued, one for rain across parts of southwest Scotland due to totals building up later today.
“The second warning covers southwest England, much of Wales and parts of Northern Ireland.
“This is due to a squally band of rain that will bring very strong winds and intense rainfall.
Image: Climate – The Great Debate
“Rates of 20mm in an hour are possible with gusts of 50 to 60mph, perhaps 70mph in exposed spots.
“The band should move through fairly quickly but some impacts are still likely during the first part of the night due to the intense rain and winds.”
The bad weather is expected to ease overnight with no warning so far issued for the rest of the week.
Northern Ireland is set to have a pre-Christmas Assembly election as the deadline to restore devolved government at Stormont has expired.
The region has been in a political crisis for months with the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) refusing to return to power-sharing since losing its status as the nation’s largest party to Sinn Fein in May – as it opposed the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris is due to call the election on Friday following the failure of a last-ditch attempt to restore the multi-party executive.
A six-month legislative timeframe to form an administration expired in the early hours of Friday, and with no ministerial executive in place, the UK government assumes a legal responsibility to call another election.
There has been speculation the poll would be held on 15 December, though the details are yet to be announced by Mr Heaton-Harris.
Meanwhile, Stormont ministers ceased to hold office at midnight after operating in shadow form since the Assembly collapsed earlier this year.
Senior civil servants will now be responsible for running devolved departments until a government is formed.
On Thursday, MLAs met during a recalled sitting of the Assembly in a bid to elect a new speaker, but it did not go ahead as the DUP refused to support the nominations and the session was suspended.
The DUP’s boycott of the Stormont institution is part of a campaign of opposition to the protocol, with the party claiming it will not return to powersharing until decisive action is taken to remove economic barriers on trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
On Sunday, Ireland’s foreign minister Simon Coveney said “political instability” in Westminster caused by two prime ministers in as many months meant it was “impossible” for the EU and UK to strike a deal on the protocol by Friday.
He said the “sensible” thing was for power-sharing to resume while negotiations over the Northern Ireland Protocol continue.
The protocol has effectively placed a sea border between Great Britain and Northern Ireland after Brexit and has meant businesses have struggled.
Image: Northern Ireland secretary Chris Heaton-Harris is set to call the election on Friday
The government has vowed to secure changes to the protocol to empower ministers to scrap the arrangements without the approval of Brussels – either by a negotiated compromise with the EU or through proposed domestic legislation.
DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson argued not enough progress has been made on addressing issues of concern around the protocol.
But Sinn Fein’s Stormont leader Michelle O’Neill said the DUP “have left us all at the mercy of a heartless and dysfunctional Tory government”.
New PM Rishi Sunak also urged the DUP to get back to Stormont just hours before the deadline to restore devolution elapsed.
His official spokesman said: “There’s still time for the DUP and executives to get back to Stormont and we urge them to do so because the people of Northern Ireland deserve a fully functioning and locally elected executive which can respond to the issues facing the communities there.”
Read more: Why is there still no assembly and what does Brexit have to do with it?
Sinn Fein emerged as the largest party for the first time in the last Northern Ireland Assembly election in May of this year.
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0:46
Sinn Fein: PM’s actions on NI Protocol ‘illegal’
Meanwhile, the UK government has insisted it is not considering a joint authority arrangement with Dublin for the governance of Northern Ireland in the absence of the Stormont executive.
Both Ireland’s premier Micheal Martin and Ms O’Neill have said there cannot be direct rule from Westminster in the event of powersharing not being restored.
But an NIO spokesperson said: “The UK government is absolutely clear that the consent principle governs the constitutional position of Northern Ireland.
“We will not countenance any arrangements that are inconsistent with that principle.”
The UK has told the EU it will continue with its pause on border checks on goods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, despite the bloc’s legal action against the government, according to reports.
The European Commission launched its infringement procedures back in June and July, accusing the UK of failing to comply with the Northern Ireland Protocol – agreed by both sides during Brexit negotiations to avoid the introduction of a hard border on the island of Ireland, instead creating a border in the Irish Sea.
The Commission said the UK was not abiding by customs and excise requirements and not imposing EU rules on VAT for e-commerce, as well as failing to collect relevant export declaration data on goods moving from Northern Ireland to the rest of the UK.
And it said failing to do so was increasing the risk of smuggling via Northern Ireland.
But, despite initially signing up to the protocol, the UK argues it is causing unnecessary barriers for business and risks the peace and stability of the Good Friday agreement.
The government had until today to respond to the legal action, and ministers are now understood to have told Brussels that they will continue with the grace periods on checks they currently have in place – meaning it is not forcing retailers and exporters to adhere to all the checks agreed in the protocol.
New Prime Minister Liz Truss has also vowed to push on with the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill in the Commons, which is aimed at ripping up parts of the agreement – including removing checks on goods and animal products going from Great Britain to Northern Ireland – despite the anger it has prompted from the EU.
Both sides have said they want to get around the negotiating table to iron out the issues around the protocol.
But while the UK wants to scrap some of it, the EU insists it is the best solution to prevent a hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland, and both have accused the other of failing to engage constructively in talks.
Neither side would give more detail on the exchanges over the legal action nor publish the documents.
But Commission spokesman Daniel Ferrie told reporters in Brussels: “I can confirm we have received a reply from the UK. We will now analyse the reply before deciding on the next steps.”
