"Northern Ireland's Political Leaders Convene to Finalize Government Restoration and Brexit Deal"

Party leaders and officials have met to discuss key issues for an incoming Stormont executive, with the Northern Ireland Assembly set to sit on Saturday for the first time since power-sharing collapsed in February 2022. The DUP has agreed to end its boycott after MPs passed legislation on a new deal on post-Brexit trade rules, and MLAs will have their full salaries restored within days. The first order of business on Saturday will be to elect a new speaker, and Sinn Féin is set to nominate the first minister, marking a symbolic moment. The DUP's deal with the UK government on post-Brexit trade issues will reduce checks and paperwork on goods moving from the rest of the UK into Northern Ireland, and the return of a power-sharing executive at Stormont will see the UK Treasury release a £3.3bn package to support struggling public services. The SDLP will go into opposition, while the UUP will take up a ministerial job in the executive, and the Alliance Party has yet to confirm its position.