RHI scandal: '˜DUP have dragged devolution into the gutter', says UUP leader

Mr Adams made the call in a speech to party leadership at the Gasyard Centre in Londonderry on Saturday.

UUP leader Mike Nesbitt said: “It shows how deeply the DUP have dragged devolution into the gutter that they allow Gerry Adams of all people to talk of defending the integrity of Stormont.

“He is the ultimate man in the glass house with a bucket of stones.

“And to qualify his support for integrity with his endless and futile search for a United Ireland is just silly. Integrity is an absolute, no ‘ifs’ no ‘buts’ and no contamination with party political ideology.

“It is, however, a matter of deep regret that Mrs Foster’s DUP have brought us to this.

“We will watch closely to see if the DUP roll over on legacy or the Irish language in order to save their political skins.”

In his speech, Gerry Adams called for an an independent investigation into the RHI scandal.

He said: “We must establish the facts. But we do demand that processes are in place to get to the truth. There can be no compromise on this.

“Sinn Féin’s primary objective must be to defend the integrity of the political institutions established under the Good Friday Agreement.”

He added: “We do this in line with our strategic objectives as Irish republicans. So, we have to deal with this crisis and we have to constantly look to how we advance our strategic objectives. I am confident that we can do both.”