Brexit Briefing 131

The Northern Ireland Assembly elections took place on 5 May 2022 and saw Sinn Féin become the largest party in the NI Assembly, with 27 seats to the DUP’s 25. The Alliance Party more than doubled their representation to 17 seats. The Sinn Féin leader in Northern Ireland, Michelle O’Neill, will thus be nominated for the position of First Minister. Meanwhile, the DUP leader, Jeffrey Donaldson, may carry out his well-signaled refusal to join a new devolved administration until the UK Government “deals with” the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland (the Protocol).