Brexit Brief 154

This issue of the Brexit Brief covers the results of a new poll which suggests that Sinn Féin is likely to be returned as the largest party in the upcoming local government elections on 18 May 2023, while also revealing a hardening of unionist opinion against the Windsor Framework. Pressure for the DUP to return to Stormont is mounting, with the new Northern Ireland budget being described as “punishing” for public services and all government departments, but Sir Jeffrey Donaldson’s party is unlikely to resume power sharing until autumn at the earliest. Meanwhile, a separate poll reveals that the majority of people in Northern Ireland would like to see the reform of the Stormont institutions, and European Commission Vice-President, Maroš Šefčovič, addressed the Dáil.