Sinn Féin budget reaction shows they have '˜no intention' of returning to Executive

The East Antrim MP criticised Sinn Fein’s response to the announcement of indicative budget allocations by the Secretary of State.

This morning, Sinn Fein’s Mairtin O’Muilleoir said they would oppose any cuts introduced within the budget.

Sammy Wilson said: “The response of Sinn Fein to the proposed budget outlined by the Secretary of State yesterday is a clear signal that they have no intention of re-establishing the Executive.

“We only have the ‘Brokenshire budget’ because we never got an O’Muilleoir budget. From September to December of last year, when he should have been bringing forward a budget to the Executive, like the political coward he is, he dodged the decisions which were his responsibility as Finance Minister and never even presented a budget to the Executive for them to debate.”

Mr Wilson continued: “Now he condemns the proposed ‘Brokenshire budget’, refusing to accept that there needs to be any choices and indeed, in the talks process, bringing forward new spending commitments including an Irish Language Act which will impose many millions of pounds of additional expenditure on an already overstretched budget.

“O’Muilleoir’s reaction confirms what I contended in the House of Commons yesterday, that Sinn Fein brought down the Assembly, not over RHI, but due to their desire to avoid making any unpopular decisions. That makes them not fit for government then, and if they continue that mind-set, not likely to want to be in government now.”