London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Sep 16, 2025

NI Election 2022: Prime minister to visit NI as DUP blocks assembly

NI Election 2022: Prime minister to visit NI as DUP blocks assembly

Boris Johnson will visit Northern Ireland on Monday amid a power-sharing crisis sparked by rising tensions over post-Brexit trading arrangements, Sinn Féin's Michelle O'Neill has said.

It comes as the DUP blocked the election of a Speaker to a new assembly on Friday, meaning it cannot function.

The DUP said its actions sent a "clear message" about its opposition to the NI Protocol.

Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said the PM must "outline what he intends to do".

Mr Johnson's visit coincides with increased speculation that the government is poised to introduce legislation to strip away parts of the Northern Ireland Protocol.

The Democratic Unionist Party's move to block the election of a Speaker follows the assembly election on 5 May.

The Northern Ireland Protocol, a part of the UK-EU Brexit deal which keeps Northern Ireland aligned with the EU single market for goods, places a trade border in the Irish Sea between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

The protocol - now under fresh scrutiny following the election - was designed to ensure free trade could continue across the Irish land border, but it has been opposed by unionist politicians.

Last week's vote cemented a majority for assembly members who accept the protocol, including the new largest party, the republican party Sinn Féin.

Most politicians elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly want the protocol to remain


Its vice-president, Michelle O'Neill, who is entitled to be Northern Ireland's next first minister, said the DUP had failed on day one of the new assembly.

"There is no reason why we should be in a rolling crisis for even one second," Ms O'Neill told the chamber.

Speaking to press in the Great Hall following the sitting, Ms O'Neill claimed that the DUP had "punished the public" for its own selfish interest.

"That isn't tolerable, it isn't acceptable , it isn't good enough", she added.

The UK government has said it wants to override parts of the treaty it signed in 2020, but Sir Jeffrey said it would "not be words that determine how we [the DUP] proceed, it will be actions".


'Rolling crisis'


The DUP, now the second-largest party by seats, said it would not nominate ministers to Stormont's governing executive until its concerns about the protocol were resolved.

Its decision to also not elect a Speaker - a move which requires cross community support - means that there can be no debates in the assembly, no committees can be held, and the actions of ministers, currently acting in a caretaker capacity, cannot be scrutinised.

The Northern Ireland Executive cannot meet without a first and deputy first minister as the roles are joint and one cannot exist without the other.

The executive collapsed in February when the DUP First Minister Paul Givan resigned in protest over the protocol, meaning the deputy first minister had to leave their post as well.

Other ministers who were in office at that time can continue in a caretaker fashion but their powers are limited.

Mr Givan told MLAs on Friday that his party was respecting its mandate to "remove the Irish Sea border".

"Our message is now clear - it is time for action, words will no longer suffice," he said.

Mr Givan added that his party had been patient and reasonable in its demands for progress in the UK-EU talks on the protocol.

Earlier, Sir Jeffrey said his party needed to "send a very clear message to the European Union and to our government that we are serious about getting this protocol sorted out".

"Because of the harm it is doing, undermining political stability, damaging agreements, harming our economy, contributing to the cost of living crisis, this matter needs to be dealt with," he added.

Sir Jeffrey has argued the protocol has eroded the foundations "devolution has been built upon" and undermined Northern Ireland's position in the UK.


DUP move things up a gear

Without a Speaker we have a "silent assembly".

It was one of the few moves left open to the DUP to try and apply pressure.

In other words, the party is saying to London and Brussels you can have the protocol or Stormont - but you can't have both.

This is a big gamble for the DUP in the hope there will be movement on the protocol to allow the party to return to Stormont.

What if there is no change? How long will the party stay away from the assembly and the executive? How will the public react?

What of the fact that a majority of MLAs support the protocol and does this look like the DUP are holding people to ransom?

This is the DUP moving things up a gear.

NI Secretary Brandon Lewis said he was disappointed by the DUP's move, tweeting that Northern Ireland deserved a stable and accountable devolved government.

Ms O'Neill said that when she meets Mr Johnson on Monday, she will tell him "that he needs to stop pandering to the DUP, that they need to get on and work with the [European] Commission and find ways to smooth the implementation of the protocol and stop holding us to ransom for their game playing".

Taoiseach (Irish prime minister) Micheál Martin said the EU had been flexible in its approach to the negotiations with the UK government, but this had not been reciprocated.

"There are issues that unionism have raised with us in respect of the protocol, but those issues should not prevent the establishment of the assembly," he added.


What have the other NI political parties said?


Alliance Party leader Naomi Long said parties who believe in devolution "do not gamble with it".

"Many of us in this chamber represent people who did not consent to Brexit in the first place and yet we turned up for work," she said.

Mrs Long later said it was a "shameful day" for the DUP.

"The DUP came to Stormont, signed the register, took their salaries but refused to take their seats and do the work to earn it," she said.

Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) leader Doug Beattie said without a functioning assembly there would be "silence" as people deal with the cost of living crisis and die on hospital waiting lists.

"People will be desperately calling for an ambulance and from this place there will be silence," he said.

Matthew O'Toole, of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), accused the DUP of having "thwarted and demeaned" democracy.

However, Jim Allister, the Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) leader, said the protocol was causing "pain" and it was not the right time to appoint a Speaker.

Meanwhile, Sinn Féin's John O'Dowd will become the new infrastructure minister. He will replace Nichola Mallon of the SDLP after she failed to gain re-election to the assembly last week.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
U.S. and Britain Poised to Finalize Over $10 Billion in High-Tech, Nuclear and Defense Deals During Trump State Visit
China Finds Nvidia Violated Antitrust Laws in Mellanox Deal, Deepens Trade Tensions with US
US Air Force Begins Modifications on Qatar-Donated Jet Amid Plans to Use It as Air Force One
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
Elon Musk Retakes Lead as World’s Richest After Brief Ellison Surge
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
London Daily Podcast: London Massive Pro Democracy Rally, Musk Support, UK Economic Data and Premier League Results Mark Eventful Weekend
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Musk calls for new UK government at huge pro-democracy rally in London, but Britons have been brainwashed to obey instead of fighting for their human rights
Elon Musk responds to post calling for the murder of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk: 'Either we fight back or they will kill us'
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
USA: Office Depot Employees Refused to Print Poster in Memory of Charlie Kirk – and Were Fired
Proposed U.S. Bill Would Allow Civil Suits Against Judges Who Release Repeat Violent Offenders
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
Tens of Thousands of Young Chinese Get Up Every Morning and Go to Work Where They Do Nothing
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
The German Owner of Politico Mathias Döpfner Eyes Further U.S. Media Expansion After Axel Springer Restructuring
Suspect Arrested: Utah Man in Custody for Charlie Kirk’s Fatal Shooting
In a politically motivated trial: Bolsonaro Sentenced to 27 Years for Plotting Coup After 2022 Defeat
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
×