Your government has been part of problem, O'Neill tells Bradley

As the Province marked one year since the late Martin McGuinness pulled down the devolved institutions by quitting as deputy first minister, his successor as Sinn Fein’s Stormont leader, Michelle O’Neill, delivered a robust message to Karen Bradley.

Mrs Bradley spoke with Mrs O’Neill and DUP leader Arlene Foster in separate phone calls on Tuesday, her first day in post coinciding with the first anniversary of the Stormont meltdown.

The former culture secretary, who replaced James Brokenshire after he resigned from the government due to ill health, has the unenviable task of trying to forge consensus between the DUP and Sinn Fein and avert a return to Westminster direct rule.

“I told the new British secretary of state that her government has been part of the problem to date,” said Mrs O’Neill.

“If any new talks to restore the Executive are to succeed, there must be a new approach from Karen Bradley’s government.

“They must stop enabling and defending the DUP’s denial of rights which is blocking a return to power-sharing and which would not be tolerated in her own country.”

Mrs Foster, whose party’s 10 MPs prop up the Conservative minority government at Westminster, had a more positive exchange with the secretary of state.

“I welcomed her to her new post and I look forward to establishing a strong working relationship in the months ahead,” she said.

A DUP colleague of Mrs Foster later accused Sinn Fein of blocking progress in Northern Ireland by pursuing a narrow political agenda.

Assembly member Christopher Stalford said 12 months without a devolved government had left public services facing major problems.

“The DUP wants to see progress made and we remain committed to seeing devolution restored,” he said.

“There won’t be progress if Sinn Fein continue to ignore everyone and everything beyond their own narrow base.”

On February 9 last year, Stormont was plunged into crisis when Mr McGuinness resigned as deputy first minister in protest at the DUP’s handling of a botched green energy scheme.

The structures of power-sharing meant his departure forced DUP first minister Mrs Foster from office and effectively torpedoed the coalition administration.

Sinn Fein activists erected a billboard in Mr McGuinness’s beloved Bogside neighbourhood in Londonderry on Tuesday quoting his declaration on resigning, “no return to the status quo”.

The rift over the renewable heat incentive (RHI) affair ended a decade-long partnership between the unionist and republican parties.

Mr McGuinness died two months after he quit from a heart condition.