Michelle O’Neill says there is no threat to Northern Ireland power sharing after Jeffrey Donaldson’s resignation
There is no threat to Northern Ireland’s power-sharing agreement after the leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) resigned over allegations of historical sexual offences, First Minister Michelle O’Neill has said.
Sir Jeffrey Donaldson stepped down on Friday. It is understood he will be “strenuously contesting” all charges against him.
Sinn Fein vice president Ms O’Neill told Sky News she has approached the leaders of the three other parties in the ministerial executive in Belfast to ensure “cohesion” amid the political fallout.
Sir Jeffrey Donaldson. Pic: PA
The deal that restored power sharing earlier this year hinged on the backing of Donaldson.
“I think everybody was shocked,” Ms O’Neill said of Friday’s developments.
“[It’s] a very challenging time, not least for those people that have come forward to the police.”
She added: “I’ve spoken to the new interim leader of the DUP, Gavin Robinson. I’ve also spoken to my executive colleagues, the political leaders around the executive table, just in terms of the work that we have to do, that we need to prioritise cohesion and leadership through these times.”
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‘It’s been a devastating revelation,’ Gavin Robinson says
No threat to power sharing
Ms O’Neill said all the party leaders shared the view there is no threat to the power-sharing institutions.
“The public here rightly deserve our newly formed executive to continue to deliver for them for now and into the future,” she said.
“My priority is to make that power sharing work, my priority is to work with the other political leaders around the executive table.
“That was why I thought it was important yesterday to reach out to each of the political leaders to talk about the need for cohesion, to talk about the need for leadership and to talk about the delivery that we now need to get on with in terms of the executive itself.”
A political earthquake without warning presents a threat to power sharing
“Cohesion and leadership” – the priorities outlined by Northern Ireland’s first minister in her bid to avert a full-blown political crisis.
Sinn Fein’s Michelle O’Neill told Sky News she was “shocked” by the circumstances of Unionist leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson’s resignation. Shocked is an understatement. Northern Ireland is reeling from a political earthquake without warning and struggling to assess the damage. There is a criminal investigation under way – politicians are choosing their words carefully to ensure they do not compromise it.
But they must, at the same time, attempt to deal with the political fall-out, to steady the ship in unchartered waters. The Democratic Unionist Party has not only lost its leader in inauspicious circumstances but erased him from its online presence. At least three of the Party’s eight Westminster seats were already deemed marginal, and at risk in the upcoming general election. If Jeffrey Donaldson resigns as an MP, it could find itself fighting a by-election in Lagan Valley very quickly.
And those landmines pose a very real threat to the power-sharing government, just eight weeks after it came into existence. Senior DUP figures, who opposed Donaldson’s decision to compromise and restore devolution, could seek to take control of the party. Hardline Unionists outside the party have urged them to do so and terminate power sharing again over controversial post-Brexit trading arrangements.
But does the DUP want to risk a Stormont election and face a general election with the party in chaos? I don’t think so, but one party’s dysfunction can quickly become every party’s problem, if it is not managed carefully.
There wasn’t a whiff of political point-scoring when Michelle O’Neill urged other party leaders to protect power sharing – to be cohesive. But she and Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly will need every ounce of their leadership to avoid a political shipwreck.
The first minister added she intended to “provide leadership” and to make sure the power-sharing government got results on the “day-to-day matters that people want us to be prioritising”.
“The public rightly expect their political leaders to deliver for them. That’s where I’m going to be focused,” she said.
‘Victims must have opportunity for justice’
It came after Northern Ireland’s deputy first minister Emma Little-Pengelly said she was “shocked and devastated” by the news of the charges against Donaldson.
Emma Little-Pengelly, Northern Ireland’s deputy first minister. Pic: PA
She added: “Victims must always have the best opportunity for justice. This must be fully respected and supported.
“My thoughts are with those suffering who have put their faith in the criminal justice system.
“Protecting the integrity of that process necessitates significant restrictions on what can be said. I have faith in our justice system.”
Ms Little-Pengelly went on to say that she was “determined” to work with the interim party leader Mr Robinson to “provide stability” and continue “tackling the big issues faced by Northern Ireland”.
Donaldson due in court in April
Donaldson has led the DUP since 2021 and has been the MP for Lagan Valley since 1997.
The 61-year-old will appear in court in Newry, Co Down, on 24 April.
A 57-year-old woman has been charged with aiding and abetting offences in relation to the same police investigation.
He has been suspended by the party but it is understood he remains an MP.
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Politics
Row over how many farms will be affected by inheritance tax policy – as PM doubles down ahead of farmers protest
Sir Keir Starmer has insisted the “vast majority of farmers” will not be affected by changes to Inheritance Tax (IHT) ahead of a protest outside parliament on Tuesday.
It follows Chancellor Rachel Reeves announcing a 20% inheritance tax that will apply to farms worth more than £1m from April 2026, where they were previously exempt.
But the prime minister looked to quell fears as he resisted calls to change course.
Speaking from the G20 summit in Brazil, he said: “If you take a typical case of a couple wanting to pass a family farm down to one of their children, which would be a very typical example, with all of the thresholds in place, that’s £3m before any inheritance tax is paid.”
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The comments come as thousands of farmers, including celebrity farmer Jeremy Clarkson, are due to descend on Whitehall on Tuesday to protest the change.
And 1,800 more will take part in a “mass lobby” where members of the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) will meet their MPs in parliament to urge them to ask Ms Reeves to reconsider the policy.
Speaking to broadcasters, Sir Keir insisted the government is supportive of farmers, pointing to a £5bn investment announced for them in the budget.
He said: “I’m confident that the vast majority of farms and farmers will not be affected at all by that aspect of the budget.
“They will be affected by the £5bn that we’re putting into farming. And I’m very happy to work with farmers on that.”
Sir Keir’s spokesman made a similar argument earlier on Monday, saying the government expects 73% of farms to not be affected by the change.
Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs Secretary Steve Reed said only about 500 out of the UK’s 209,000 farms would be affected, according to Treasury calculations.
However, that number has been questioned by several farming groups and the Conservatives.
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Farming industry is feeling ‘betrayed’ – NFU boss
Government figures ‘misleading’
The NFU said the real number is about two-thirds, with its president Tom Bradshaw calling the government’s figures “misleading” and accusing it of not understanding the sector.
The Country Land and Business Association (CLA) said the policy could affect 70,000 farms.
Conservative shadow farming minister Robbie Moore accused the government last week of “regurgitating” figures that represent “past claimants of agricultural property relief, not combined with business property relief” because he said the Treasury does not have that data.
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Agricultural property relief (APR) currently provides farmers 100% relief from paying inheritance tax on agricultural land or pasture used for rearing livestock or fish, and can include woodland and buildings, such as farmhouses, if they are necessary for that land to function.
Farmers can also claim business property relief (BPR), providing 50% or 100% relief on assets used by a trading business, which for farmers could include land, buildings, plant or machinery used by the business, farm shops and holiday cottages.
APR and BPR can often apply to the same asset, especially farmed land, but APR should be the priority, however BPR can be claimed in addition if APR does not cover the full value (e.g. if the land has development value above its agricultural value).
APR and BPR can apply to farmland, which the Conservatives say has been overlooked by the Treasury in compiling its impact figures. File pic: iStock
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Mr Moore said the Department for the Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and the Treasury have disagreed on how many farms will be impacted “by as much as 40%” due to the lack of data on farmers using BPR.
Lib Dem MP Tim Farron said last week1,400 farmers in Cumbria, where he is an MP, will be affected and will not be able to afford to pay the tax as many are on less than the minimum wage despite being asset rich.
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