Westminster is taking unilateral control of implementing the Windsor Framework Brexit agreement in Northern Ireland, with the UK government continuing its plans without the input of the DUP or any other party in Stormont in the absence of power-sharing. The Alliance Party of Northern Ireland confirmed reports this morning, which first appeared on Friday in PoliticsHome, that the agreement is set to proceed regardless of the power vacuum which has continued since early 2022. The Northern Ireland Office made the decision last week…

A government spokesperson said on Friday:

“We are continuing to take forward work to implement the Windsor Framework, and are engaging the Northern Ireland Parties as part of those efforts.”

There are still ongoing discussions as to what the plans going forward will look like. The feeling is that making no progress on the Framework now, after years of Brexit chaos, was too damaging a prospect to simply wait it out…