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Michelle O’Neill: I’ve been ‘blocked’ from attending event by ‘DUP stunt’
Sinn Féin says the move would leave Northern Ireland without representation at a Glasgow forum where leaders were due to discuss the Stormont budget.
On Thursday, First Minister Michelle O'Neill claimed Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly blocked her from Friday's Economic Forum in Glasgow, preventing a meeting with British Prime Minister Andy Burnham to discuss the Stormont budget.
The DUP is facing internal pressure over the Drumcree parading dispute, where senior members demanded withdrawing Little-Pengelly from the Stormont Executive, a move that would automatically force O'Neill from her post and collapse the devolved administration.
Police are investigating participants of the unnotified Garvaghy Road protest for being "reasonably suspected of committing offences," while O'Neill defended her presence as the "right thing to do."
O'Neill described the blocking as a "reactive stunt, driven by the DUP's own internal pressures and electoral problems," stating the decision denies Northern Ireland representation at the major political event.
This political maneuvering occurs at Stormont ahead of an Assembly election due in May, illustrating ongoing instability within powersharing structures as the party considers further sanctions against Sinn Fein.