DUP collapse of Stormont did not achieve much and caused great damage to Northern Ireland, Stephen Farry tells Alliance conference

The deputy leader told his party conference on Saturday all of the DUP's "stated concerns could have been addressed in parallel with functioning institutions".

The North Down MP said: "I am glad DUP are back in the Assembly and the Executive, and in theory working all of the institutions of the Good Friday Agreement. But before they get too carried away, let’s make some things clear. Their boycott of the assembly did not deliver the progress or outcomes they proclaim."

He added: "And problems with plants, seed potatoes, or customs declarations are not on the same scale as the needs of our health service, our education system and prospects for our economy."

Mr Farry said that "huge damage" had been done to governance and public services by the DUP boycott.

He said that Alliance was "highly sceptical" of the command paper that unveiled the DUP-Tory deal.

"In many respects it is essentially a glorified press release. But it comes with considerable loaded language, and suggests a lack of balance and impartiality on the part of the UK government."

The actual legislation that emerged from the deal was what mattered, he said.

Mr Farry also said: "Brexit remains the original sin. And we continue to oppose it, and support an early return of Northern Ireland to the European Union."

He said that Northern Ireland "was always going to need special arrangements to manage tensions".

The Alliance Party's tests on post Brexit arrangements remain, he said: "Protection of the Good Friday Agreement; Preservation of dual market access; And changes being mutually agreed between the UK and EU, and therefore legal."