Doug Beattie tells Mary Lou McDonald that Sinn Fein’s united Ireland project is failing

The Sinn Fein president, in a speech in Belfast to mark the 1916 Easter Rising in Dublin, also made a direct appeal to unionists to “walk this journey with us”.

Responding, Mr Beattie said: “Yet again the Sinn Fein president is telling the people what they want to hear.

“It is what you’d expect from Sinn Fein during the Easter Rebellion commemoration – it’s what they said last year, it’s what they’ll say next year.

“Yet their united Ireland project is failing and will continue to fail as they try to sanitise their support for the murder and maiming of thousands of our citizens while at the same time show support for a terrorist campaign that led thousands of their people to jail as they dine in splendour.”

On the Sinn Fein leader’s appeal to unionists, the UUP leader said: “As they try to reach out to unionists, I offer them a radical idea. Denounce terrorism, denounce the murder of our citizens, denounce those who hid in the shadows to kill men, women and children. From that basic position of humanity we can then work towards helping the people of Northern Ireland deal with the cost-of-living crisis.”

TUV leader Jim Allister also hit out at Ms McDonald’s comments.

“Mary Lou McDonald must take unionists for fools,” he said.

“Pious words at IRA glorifying events about ‘partnership’ and honeyed words to cooperate in the attainment of the IRA’s goal by other means than those for which Ms McDonald has still to apologise, will fool no one.”

He continued: “This is the leader of the republican movement which butchered unionists on the border out of crude sectarian motive.

“Now, while still glorifying such, she urges unionists to walk themselves out of the UK, hand in hand with IRA/Sinn Fein, and into what she euphemistically calls a united Ireland. No thanks.”

His party colleague, East Londonderry candidate Jordan Armstrong, described Ms McDonald’s appeal to unionists as “laughable”.

He continued: “There is no genuine offer of partnership.”

Mr Armstrong, the chairman of the TUV, added: “McDonald is clearly concerned that unionists are alive to a key point which TUV have been highlighting during this election – there cannot be a Sinn Fein first minister unless they find a stooge unionist to serve as deputy.”