DUP leader: Another election will not break the power-sharing deadlock at Stormont
Another Northern Ireland Assembly election will not break the deadlock and restore devolved government, DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has said.
Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris plans to call a new poll after the deadline for power-sharing passed without agreement.
But Sir Jeffrey is urging the government to focus on negotiations with the EU over the Brexit Protocol instead.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
NI secretary ‘under legal duty’ to call election
In an interview for Sky’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday, he said: “We want to see Stormont restored as soon as possible and actually, I don’t think an election takes us closer to a solution.
“Why not use the next few weeks to double-down on getting either a negotiated solution with the European Union or bringing forward the legislation in parliament which will resolve issues around the Northern Ireland Protocol.
“Let’s look at what’s happened in those six months since the last assembly election. We’ve had three prime ministers, Westminster at times has been in chaos. There’s been little focus on getting a solution to the protocol.
“Talks with the EU only started again a couple of weeks ago and even then, only at a technical level, not at a political level,” he added.
The Northern Ireland Protocol established a trade border in the Irish Sea to avoid one between Northern Ireland and the Republic.
A view of Parliament Buildings at Stormont, Belfast
Read more:
Northern Ireland secretary says he will call Stormont election after attempts to restore executive fail
Why is there still no assembly and what does Brexit have to do with it?
But unionists regard the UK’s compromise with the EU as a threat to Northern Ireland’s place in the United Kingdom.
As foreign secretary, Liz Truss tabled the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill to unilaterally override elements of the Brexit trading arrangement.
Analysis: Common ground identified between DUP and Sinn Fein
It would be easy to focus on the negative, the fact that there’s no power-sharing at Stormont and that the Northern Ireland Secretary is under pressure to call another election.
Sinn Fein is accusing the DUP of ignoring the result of the last Assembly election and the DUP is blaming the stalemate on the Brexit border in the Irish Sea.
But exclusive interviews for Sky’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday programme have identified common ground between the largest nationalist party and the largest unionist party – neither of them wants another election.
Sinn Fein’s Michelle O’Neill, who would be First Minister, and the DUP’s Sir Jeffrey Donaldson both referred to “chaos” in Westminster and both urged the UK and EU to engage.
That leaves Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris with a choice – does he find a way to buy time for a solution to be found or facilitate a second divisive election campaign?
But Prime Minister Rishi Sunak appears keen to negotiate a solution, rather than risk a trade war with the EU.
Asked if that made Mr Sunak the DUP’s “worst nightmare,” Sir Jeffrey replied: “I don’t want a trade war with the EU…
“But I fundamentally want the ability to trade within my own country and that is what the protocol denies us and look, whoever is the prime minister in Westminster, I have to work with them,” he added.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Sinn Fein: ‘Public denied access to democracy’
Sinn Fein’s Stormont leader Michelle O’Neill described the delay in calling an election a “bizarre U-turn” by the Northern Ireland secretary.
Speaking to Sky’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday, she said the public “deserves sensible, mature political leaders working together to try and form a government”.
She said: “I don’t think it’s lost on the wider public that the DUP don’t like the May election result, I don’t think it’s lost on the wider public that they have difficulty in forming a government to be a deputy first minister to my mandate which is to be the first minister given the recent election results.
“I think it’s not lost on people that that’s the real motivation here. The DUP hide behind the issues of the protocol.
“What I want to see in the time ahead is very mature, sensible political discussion between both the British government and the EU side.
“Let’s find an agreed way to solve the issues around the protocol, and I would make this case again to disagree with Jeffrey Donaldson and the DUP – the protocol is a necessity and it is here to stay.
“There are things that can be smoothed out, there are things that can be made to work better, and I’m up for that and hope that’s what we achieve in the coming weeks and months.”
An amber warning has been issued for snow in a part of the UK, likely to cause travel delays and “stranding some vehicles and passengers”.
The warning, which covers south west England, also warns some rural communities could become cut off and is in place until 2pm this evening.
Pic: Met Office
There is also a yellow weather warning for snow covering the southern counties of England until midnight on Wednesday.
The warning stretches from Kent to Cornwall and up to south London and the Met Office said between 2cm and 5cm of snow could accumulate fairly widely, with as much as 10cm over higher ground.
This week is expected to see the coldest nights of the year, with temperatures potentially reaching -14C on Wednesday night and -16C on Thursday night, both in the North East of England and Scotland, the Met Office said.
Weather warnings issued on Tuesday for snow and ice covering the parts of Wales, the North West of England, west and northern parts of Scotland as well as Northern Ireland will remain in place until midnight tomorrow.
The forecaster said some roads and railways are likely to be affected and there could be icy patches on untreated roads.
Pics: AP
Meanwhile the Environment Agency has said at least 300 properties have flooded across England since New Year’s Eve. It estimates more than 41,000 properties have been protected.
Heavy rainfall over the New Year caused significant river and surface water flooding across the North West of England and Yorkshire and snowmelt has brought further disruption to parts of England, particularly the Midlands, the agency said.
Read more from Sky News:
Terrifying firestorm rips through home of film stars and billionaires
Homes destroyed – how people are coping with floods
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Man says flooding ‘came out of nowhere’
Floods minister Emma Hardy said: “My sympathies go out to the people, businesses and communities impacted by the recent flooding across the country.
“I want to express my heartfelt thanks for the vital work that the Environment Agency and emergency services are doing to keep people safe. People must continue to follow their advice and sign up for flood warnings.”
Flood warnings
Some 100 flood warnings were in force across England on Wednesday, with people urged to remain vigilant over the coming days.
A danger-to-life warning was issued on Tuesday morning for the River Soar near Barrow upon Soar, Leicestershire, but was later removed.
People living in caravan parks in the area were urged by the Environment Agency to act, with a large-scale evacuation needed to save lives.
Firefighters have rescued dozens of people across Leicestershire since Monday, Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service said.
Hundreds of schools were closed across the UK, with road and rail links blocked, as Manchester, Bristol and Liverpool John Lennon airports suspended flights because of the conditions.
-
Sports2 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports9 months agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports1 year agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports3 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Business2 years agoBank of England’s extraordinary response to government policy is almost unthinkable | Ed Conway