Michelle O'Neill says DUP has blocked her from PM meeting in Glasgow

Image source, Press Association

Northern Ireland’s First Minister Michelle O’Neill has said Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly has “blocked” them from attending an economic summit involving Prime Minister Andy Burnham.

The Sinn Féin vice-president and Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) minister were both invited to attend the National Economic Council in Glasgow on Friday alongside other devolved leaders.

The move follows unionist anger over Sinn Féin’s involvement in protests which prevented a contentious Orange Order march in Portadown from passing along the mainly nationalist Garvaghy Road.

O’Neill described the move as “reckless and irresponsible” and meant people in Northern Ireland “will not be represented”.

“This is a reactive stunt, driven by the DUP’s own internal pressures and electoral problems,” she said in a statement posted online.

It emerges as a meeting of the DUP’s ruling committee was due to take place on Thursday morning.

Party officers were expected to consider whether to withdraw the deputy first minister or cease official engagements with O’Neill, sources told the BBC’s Nolan Live programme.

Image source, PA

The DUP ruling committee is meeting to discuss what steps it takes in the wake of the latest Drumcree court ruling

O’Neill and other senior Sinn Féin figures have been interviewed by police investigating last month’s unnotified demonstrations in Portadown, with unionists accusing the party of acting unlawfully.

The Sinn Féin deputy leader has defended her involvement, saying it was the “right thing to do”.

The prime minister revived the National Economic Council over the summer to encourage greater collaboration between the nations and regions.

In a statement posted online on Thursday , O’Neill said: “The deputy first minister has decided to block representation from here at a major political event, which would include meeting with the first ministers of Scotland and Wales, and the British prime minister.

“The Economic Forum is taking place tomorrow in Glasgow, and this reckless and irresponsible approach of Emma Little-Pengelly means the people of the north will not be represented.

“This is a reactive stunt, driven by the DUP’s own internal pressures and electoral problems.”

Image source, Pacemaker Press

Maurice Bradley said removing O’Neill “would not, in itself, require the Assembly to collapse”

The DUP has been under pressure from unionist rivals and some within its own ranks over how to respond to the row over Drumcree.

Last week, DUP MP Carla Lockhart stepped down from the party’s officer board over their leader Gavin Robinson not withdrawing Little-Pengelly to force O’Neill from their joint Stormont office.

Other DUP representatives including assembly member Diane Forsythe have since backed Lockhart’s calls for O’Neill to be “removed from office”.

On Tuesday, Forsythe said that in the absence of such “meaningful action”, official engagements through the joint Executive Office should be stopped immediately as a “bare minimum”.

On Wednesday, a second DUP assembly member called for O’Neill to go.

Maurice Bradley said removing O’Neill “would not, in itself, require the Assembly to collapse”.

Bradley said the “attitude displayed by senior Sinn Féin representatives in the aftermath” of the dispute “have caused widespread anger and concern”.

He said the “arrogance and defiance demonstrated by repeated declarations that Michelle O’Neill is ‘going nowhere'” was “concerning”.

Last week, a court heard Police Service of Northern Ireland intelligence information that dissidents may have mounted gun attacks on police had officers cleared a path for the parade.

Bradley’s statement added: “No one is above the law, regardless of their political position. There cannot be one standard for ordinary citizens and another for those holding the highest offices in Northern Ireland.”

Carla Lockhart stepped down from the DUP’s officer board last week

Bradley added that the party “must stand together” and “support Carla Lockhart”.

Other party members including former MP Lord McCrea and Mid Ulster councillor Clement Cuthbertson have also backed Lockhart.

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Party leader Robinson said last week that he was “sorry” to see Lockhart quit the DUP’s officer board but added that she remained “a key part of our team”.

Speaking on the BBC’s The View programme, the Robinson said the party had reached a democratic decision on how to deal with the Drumcree fallout.

He questioned whether it was necessary to “punish everyone in Northern Ireland when actually we should be punishing those who broke the law”.

“We have considered all options and we keep all options on the table,” he added.

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