Good to see Corbyn over here says O'Neill, but SF still won't go to Westminster

She said: “Well I welcome the fact that he is here, I welcome the fact that he’s listening, he’s doing more than what the Conservative Party have done when their ministers have come in under the cover of darkness and spoke to a few people.

“I mean I think it is very interesting, we are all watching very closely as the whole Brexit negotiations develops but we are in a crunch time, our position and the position that has been adopted by the majority of the parties here is that we need to stay in the customs union and single market, we need to protect the Good Friday Agreement, in all of its parts and we need to protect relationships.”

Asked if Sinn Fein would now take its Westminster seats in light of the tight arithmetic there in terms of Brexit votes, she said:

”No, you know we’ve got a proud abstentionist position and that remains the position.

“The arithmetic doesn’t even stack up, the Labour Party as you’ve seen again today, Jeremy Corbyn stance, doesn’t even add up in terms of the numbers but, that aside, the people of the north turned their back on Westminster, the people want their issues dealt with at home, and I mean I think that’s very clear, that’s the mandate we’ve been given so we’re proud abstentionists and that is not going to change.”

Ms O’Neill was also asked the chances of Stormont coming back before the end of the year.

She replied: “Well I believe you always have to give people hope, I think it’s unfortunate the DUP have checked out of the institutions and they have checked out because of Brexit,

“They’ve checked out because they’re involved in the public inquiry on the RHI scandal. I think that the British government itself is pandering to the DUP and they’re more about protecting their own interests over in Britain, than they are about getting the institutions up and running.”

But, we put it to Ms O’Neill, the DUP say it is Sinn Fein who have checked out?

She replied: “I know but sure I think even the dogs in the street know exactly what is going on here. The DUP have been paralysed because of the RHI scandal and because of Brexit.

“The British government are not engaged and they are not playing their role here. What we need to see is talks again, what we need to see is negotiation, what we need to see is to find a way back to the institutions.

“The people want the institutions, I have no doubt about that but they need them to work for all the people, they can’t just look after a few.”