DUP blocks joint engagements with Sinn Féin First Minister amid parading dispute
Lockhart says the DUP should act on the Drumcree dispute and remove O’Neill, arguing ministers can stay in post and the Assembly can still pass a budget.
- On Thursday, DUP leader Gavin Robinson announced Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly will cease joint engagements with First Minister Michelle O'Neill, following police investigations into O'Neill's participation in a protest on Garvaghy Road.
- O'Neill and other Sinn Féin colleagues are under investigation for participating in an allegedly unlawful protest last month against an Orange Order parade in Portadown; O'Neill defended her presence as the "right thing to do."
- The blockade means O'Neill and Little-Pengelly will not attend an economic event in Glasgow on Friday or meet Irish President Catherine Connolly. O'Neill dismissed the move as a "reactive stunt, driven by the DUP's own internal pressures and electoral problems."
- While stopping short of withdrawing Little-Pengelly—a move that would collapse the Stormont Executive—Robinson told reporters he could not rule out that step. He stated, "The First Minister needs to be held accountable for her actions and for her recklessness."
- Sinn Féin representatives dismissed the DUP's actions as "DUP theatrics" and a "reckless stunt" ahead of potential elections. Robinson emphasized accountability must not sacrifice public services or Northern Ireland's place within the United Kingdom.
21 Articles
21 Articles
The dispute over an Orange March in Northern Ireland, which has been ongoing for weeks, has now led to a government crisis, reports The Belfast Telegraph. The leadership of the pro-British DUP refuses to continue working with First Minister and Sinn Féin leader Michelle O’Neill due to her role in the conflict. However, the DUP has not yet withdrawn from the government, although that step is not ruled out.
DUP: Lockhart set to walk as Robinson fudges forcing O'Neill out
DUP leader Gavin Robinson says Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly will quit joint engagements with First Minister Michelle O’Neill - but he won’t be pulling her out of the executive.The DUP’s party officers met on Thursday to discuss their options.Before the meeting, Upper Bann MP Carla Lockhart published a letter to the party making it clear – that if it didn’t pull Emma Little-Pengelly out of the executive, she would take her “own cour…
Michelle O'Neill: 'The days of treating people like second-class citizens are over'
Frist Minister Michelle O’Neill has stated that ‘the days of treating people like second-class citizens are over’ and warned that there will be ‘no going back, not now, and not ever’ after the DUP announced Emma Little-Pengelly was withdrawing from joint engagements with her.
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