Northern Ireland’s attorney general could be consulted on DUP boycott row

A judge overseeing action against the Democratic Unionist Party’s (DUP) ongoing boycott of north-south meetings at Belfast’s High Court, has said the region’s attorney general could be called in to consult on the case.

Mr Justice Scoffield reportedly made the remarks during the most recent hearing in the dispute.

The lawyer representing Sean Napier, the Belfast businessman pursuing action against the party, has said it still remains unclear why Friday’s meeting did not take place.

According to the BBC, £1bn of EU Peace Plus funding was set to be signed off during the scheduled talks.

Two North-South Ministerial Council (NSMC) meetings were cancelled on Friday after the Democratic Unionist Party did not sign them off.
The DUP say they are boycotting due to their disagreement with the Northern Ireland Protocol.

A High Court judge said the ongoing boycott was illegal last week.

DUP ministers attended a council meeting on health earlier last week.

The Protocol was implemented to prevent a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland in the wake of Brexit by keeping Northern Ireland in the EU’s single market for goods, however many unionists argue that the deal undermines the region’s position in the UK by installing a barrier to trade with Great Britain.