‘Peace-building can be a very bumpy journey’

Jeffrey Donaldson of the DUP opposed the Good Friday Agreement when it was conceived. Now he says it must be protected at all costs from the threat of Brexit

Jeffrey Donaldson: ‘The current impasse is in no one’s interests, and the result of it is deepening of the divide and greater polarisation across the community’ Pic: Pacemaker

At around 6am on Good Friday, April 10, 1998, Jeffrey Donaldson emerged from all-night talks at Stormont, drove home for a shower and a change of clothes and then made his way back to the Castle Buildings.

At around 10am, the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) negotiating team went into conclave to discuss the final draft of what would become known as the Good Friday Agreement. Donaldson had major concerns.

“There had been a ...