UK delays Northern Ireland election as Brexit talks progress

The UK will extend the deadline for Northern Ireland’s power-sharing government to be formed while delaying an election, as negotiations with the European Union on the region’s post-Brexit status progress.

The delay “aims to create the time and space for talks” between the UK government and the European Commission to develop, and for political parties to try to end their impasse “as soon as possible,” the UK’s Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris told Parliament on Wednesday.

UK to Delay Northern Ireland Vote, Hopes for EU Deal First

The UK will legislate to extend the deadline for a government to be formed by an initial six weeks to Dec. 8, with the option of pushing it back by a further six weeks to Jan. 19 if necessary. If the second extension is used, that in turn could push back an election to as late as mid-April.

It’s a significant change in approach that reflects the complicated dynamic in Northern Ireland’s post-Brexit politics and the fragile state of Brexit talks.

The region’s power-sharing government has not functioned since February, with the Democratic Unionist Party blocking its formation in protest at the terms of the original Brexit deal, which kept Northern Ireland within the EU’s single market. Under the current law, the UK had to announce an election within 12 weeks of last month’s deadline for the executive to be formed.

But that timeline risked a scenario in which a vote was held while UK-EU negotiations were ongoing, creating a clear risk that election campaigning would harden positions and potentially no change in the status quo.

Political Choreography

Using the new schedule, the hope is likely to be that the UK and EU come to an agreement on the region’s post-Brexit status that is acceptable to the DUP, and the party then agrees to take part in the power-sharing government.

At that point, an election could he held with the controversial Northern Ireland protocol finally off the agenda.

Still, there is no guarantee the strategy will work.

Talks between the UK and EU have restarted for the first time in eight months and some progress has already been made, with the EU testing the UK’s live trade database for the first time this week. If the EU is satisfied with the system, it could pave the way for an agreement on customs checks -- one of the issues they must resolve to get a wider deal.

Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said Tuesday a deal could be “doable” by the end of the year. 

Yet there are major hurdles beyond the checks, especially on the question of governance of Northern Ireland. Both the UK and DUP are demanding that the European Court of Justice be stripped of its role in settling Brexit disputes in the region. That’s a red line for the EU.