Windsor Framework: We will not consider joint authority, says NIO, after Michelle O'Neill said alternative to powersharing in NI is joint UK/Irish arrangement
The Northern Ireland Office has insisted it will not countenance any joint authority arrangement in Northern Ireland involving the Irish government in the event that powersharing does not return at Stormont.
Earlier, Sinn Fein vice president Michelle O’Neill said a UK/Irish arrangement could be the only alternative if the devolution impasse continued.
In response, an NIO spokesman said: “We are not considering any changes to the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement and we will not consider joint authority.
“Our sole focus is on ensuring Northern Ireland has a locally elected, accountable and effective devolved government in line with the agreement – to protect the gains it has delivered over the past 25 years.
“We have been clear that we will underpin arrangements in the Windsor Framework through amendments to the Northern Ireland Act 1998 to provide constitutional and democratic guarantees for the people of Northern Ireland. We will set out further detail in the coming weeks.”
Speaking on Sky News, Ms O’Neill said the result of last May’s Assembly election has to be honoured and powersharing restored.
“We obviously had a very historic election last May, for the very first time a nationalist was returned as first minister, and I am in the position of first minister-designate,” she told Sky News.
“The DUP have failed to honour that election to this point, but I still hope that they will get to that point, because powersharing is how politics works in the north.
“We have a special and unique circumstance because of the Good Friday Agreement and there isn’t any other alternative.
“In fact, probably the alternative to powersharing would be some arrangement between the British and Irish government.”
Ms O’Neill said it was time for the DUP to show “leadership” and agree to restoring powersharing while still continuing its process of examining the deal.
“They deliberately took a tactic, they decided to walk away from the executive in order to influence the negotiation (between the UK and EU), but the negotiation is now complete, so there’s no reason for them to stay outside of the executive,” she told Sky News.