Northern Ireland's absence from UK economic forum is not a 'meaningful sanction' for Michelle O'Neill
Northern Ireland was the only UK nation not represented at a UK economic summit on Friday, after the DUP blocked the Executive’s joint leaders from attending in protest at Michelle O’Neill’s actions during the Drumcree standoff.
The Prime Minister said it was “a shame” that the province’s leaders were absent, while the UUP boss Jon Burrows said that Northern Ireland had been punished, not republicans.
Sinn Féin described the Glasgow event as “very important” and said the DUP protest was “economic sabotage”.
On Thursday, DUP boss Gavin Robinson said that co-operation had ended between the deputy First Minister and Michelle O’Neill, after party officers rejected calls from MP Carla Lockhart to remove Emma Little Pengelly from the joint office, and by extension the Sinn Féin first minister.
As a consequence, neither leader attended the National Economic Council meeting in Glasgow on Friday, at which they had been due to meet Prime Minister Andy Burnham, Scottish First Minister John Swinney and Welsh First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth.
Speaking at the beginning of the event Mr Burnham said: “It’s a shame that we do not have colleagues from Northern Ireland, but obviously we’re working with them on the same agenda and that agenda being how do we get growth up to where we all want it to be.
“Not just any kind of growth, good growth in every postcode and that means every postcode of Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England as well”.
Ulster Unionist Party leader Jon Burrows said it “looks like choreography without consequences”.
“Michelle O’Neill remains in office, on full pay and with all her powers. Cancelling public appearances while continuing business behind closed doors hardly amounts to a meaningful sanction.
“Staying away from a UK economic summit chaired by our own Prime Minister punishes Northern Ireland by leaving our voice unheard.
“I called for an updated Provisional IRA security assessment 15 days ago. I welcome others supporting that call, but we must avoid repeating the over-promising and under-delivering we saw over the Irish Sea border and Safeguarding the Union.
“Real accountability must come through the criminal justice process, without fear or favour, alongside reform that prevents ministers’ own parties shielding them from consequences”, the North Antrim MLA said.
Sinn Féin MP John Finucane said the meeting was “a very important meeting that the First Minister and the deputy First Minister should have been at”.
“It is once again an example of economic sabotage, of self-harm by the DUP, all because they struggle with internal party cohesion and once again that division plays out in front of the public. It is an absolute disgrace that meeting is not taking place.”
He added: “We’re dealing with a DUP which is mired in scandal and mired in internal division, and the unfortunate reality is that everybody has to suffer as a result of this drama playing out in front of all of us.”
Alliance Deputy Leader Eóin Tennyson said that once again, the DUP “is putting its own internal selfish party interest ahead of the public interest, gambling with people’s lives and livelihoods in the process. People are rightly exhausted by this constant cycle of drama, dysfunction and ransom politics”.
The SDLP has accused the DUP of “once again manufacturing crisis”, calling the decision a “petulant and preposterous stunt”.