Is power-sharing about to finally return to Northern Ireland? That’s the expectation in Westminster and Stormont after the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) endorsed a new deal with the UK government.

On Monday evening, the DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson held a tense five-hour meeting with his party’s executive. In a sign of the high stakes nature of the discussion, one DUP executive member has been accused of wearing a wire – so Donaldson’s speech could be leaked to a loyalist activist who shared the details in real time on social media. But despite the commotion, the DUP leader emerged in the early hours of Tuesday morning to declare that after two years of deadlock, he was pleased to report that the ‘party executive has now endorsed the proposals that I have put to the party’.

So long as Donaldson holds the backing of his party, power-sharing could return to Stormont within days

What are these proposals? The deal has not been released publicly, with several Tory backbenchers complaining that they are yet to see the fine print. However, Donaldson described the changes secured in his press conference. This includes removing ‘checks for goods moving within the UK and remaining in Northern Ireland’ and Northern Ireland no longer ‘automatically’ following future EU laws. As well as these new safeguards, there is also money involved with £3 billion found to fund public services.

The DUP collapsed the executive in February 2022 (there has been no functioning government in the province since) in protest at the checks imposed on goods entering Northern Ireland from Great Britain as part of the Northern Ireland protocol. Rishi Sunak hoped the Windsor Framework he signed last spring would address these issues but the DUP refused to support it.

It follows that while the latest development is very significant it is not a done deal yet. Donaldson warned that the UK government now needs to deliver on the ‘legislative commitments’ they have made. Meanwhile, some of Donaldson’s internal critics are unconvinced this deal goes far enough and are calling for more assurances relating to the changes to checks on goods.

So, what are the next steps? The parties entitled to form an executive are due to meet later today to be briefed on the plan. Then there could be new legislation in the form of statutory instruments that could be introduced in the Commons on Thursday. If there are objections to the proposals, it could go to a vote. However, while some Tory MPs are withholding their support until they see the details, most MPs have said in the past they will back a deal if the DUP supports it. So long as Donaldson holds the backing of his party, power-sharing (with the DUP as the junior partners to Sinn Fein for the first time) could return to Stormont within days.