Full Breakdown
DUP blocks First Minister Michelle O'Neill from UK-wide economic summit
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In this breakdown
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DUP blocks First Minister from National Economic Council
The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) decided on Thursday to prevent First Minister Michelle O’Neill from attending the National Economic Council (NEC) meeting that was to include Prime Minister Andy Burnham and the leaders of Scotland, Wales and England. The party also ruled that Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly would not take part in any joint engagements with O’Neill, and that O’Neill would not be allowed to operate on a solo basis. The move follows Upper Bann MP Carla Lockhart’s call for the DUP to force O’Neill’s removal by having Little-Pengelly resign.
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Background and recent tensions
Lockhart’s demand emerged after unionist anger over Sinn Féin’s involvement in protests that stopped an Orange Order parade on Garvaghy Road in Portadown, County Armagh. In a letter to colleagues, Lockhart said she would “take her own course” if O’Neill remained in office. Several DUP assembly members, including Diane Forsythe and Maurice Bradley, have publicly backed Lockhart’s stance, while party leader Gavin Robinson described the decision to cease first-minister-deputy-first-minister engagement as “unanimous”.
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Official statements & responses
Burnham expressed disappointment at the absence of Northern Ireland’s leaders from the NEC, calling it “disappointing” but noting that civil servants would represent Stormont.
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Verbatim quotes
- “If anybody steps back and thinks about the pressures on our political institutions, the fragility of our political institutions and would they tolerate it in Scotland, Wales and England - I think the honest answer to that is: no, they would not,” — Gavin Robinson
- “It can't wait. People need to see improvements in employment and in living standards in all parts of the UK.” — Sinn Féin's Finucane