London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, May 13, 2025

Sinn Féin's Michelle O'Neill says DUP won't accept her as first minister

Sinn Féin's Michelle O'Neill says DUP won't accept her as first minister

Sinn Féin's Michelle O'Neill has accused the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) of refusing to return to power-sharing at Stormont because an Irish nationalist would be first minister.

She made the comment at her party's ard fheis (annual conference) in Dublin.

Sinn Féin became the biggest party at Stormont after an election in May, meaning Ms O'Neill is entitled to be first minister.

But the DUP's refusal to join an executive prevented her from doing so.

The DUP has said it will not return to devolved government until its complaints about the post-Brexit trading arrangement known as the Northern Ireland Protocol are addressed.

During her speech at the ard fheis, Ms O'Neill said the DUP was using its protest about the protocol as "cover".

"It is wrong that progress on the issues affecting the daily lives of people are being put on hold because one party refuses to accept the democratic outcome of last May's Assembly election," she said.

"At any time this would be unacceptable but in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis it is utterly disgraceful.

"As you all know the DUP are using the Brexit Protocol as cover not to enter power-sharing.

"The real reason is because as an Irish nationalist I will be at the helm as first minister and everybody knows it."

The DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has previously said he accepts the outcome of the May election but will not change his stance on power-sharing until his issues with the protocol have been resolved.

Sinn Féin is the largest party in opposition in the Republic of Ireland


Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald gave the closing address at the conference.

She used her speech to criticise the Irish government parties but also hit at out at London.

"The British government dithering must end. They must immediately bring clarity, a timetable for concluding negotiations with the European Union and the restoration of the executive."

She said that the Stormont stalemate cannot continue and accused the DUP of refusing "to accept the result of an election and prevent the formation of an executive".

Speaking of the Northern Ireland Assembly election, she told the conference that "for the first time, a republican, a nationalist, a woman from Tyrone, was elected as first minister in a state designed to ensure that this could never happen".

Sinn Féin is the largest in opposition in the Republic of Ireland, where recent polls have pointed to rising support.

During her address, Ms McDonald referred to the governing parties in the Republic, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, as playing "political hokey-pokey".

"Change can't be stopped by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, now so joined at the hip that it doesn't matter to them which leader is taoiseach (Irish prime minister), so long as it's one of them," she said.

"Leo leaves, Micheál goes in. Micheál leaves next month, Leo goes back in.

"In, out. In, out."


Direct rule 'not an option'


Ms McDonald attacked the "chaotic" Conservative government.

"They can't run their own country without bringing it to the brink of financial ruin. They certainly have no right to tell the people of Ireland how to run ours.

"The Tories should leave governing of this island to the people who live here, and we'll shape a better future together.

"They must immediately bring clarity, a timetable for concluding negotiations with the European Union and the restoration of the executive.

"But whatever happens, be clear that a return to direct rule from London is not an option. Working together is the only way forward."

Until February Ms O'Neill had been Stormont's deputy first minister.

But when the DUP removed Paul Givan as first minister from the executive in protest over the protocol that meant Ms O'Neill could not remain in office either.

Her party won 27 seats in May's assembly election, with the DUP securing 25.

Sinn Féin has repeatedly called for an executive to be restored, saying the onus was on the DUP to "end its boycott".

During her speech in Dublin, Ms O'Neill accused the DUP and the Conservative Party of creating chaos and dysfunction at Stormont and Westminster.

She also criticised Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris over his indecision about calling another Stormont election.

She called for his statement to the House of Commons next week to be definitive as "drip feeding is fuelling instability and uncertainty".

Ms O'Neill also called on the UK and the EU to "propel the protocol talks" and demonstrate will to find a solution.


Mary Lou McDonald: Change 'can't be stopped by the DUP'


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
American citizens account for 70% of worldwide pharmaceutical sales despite comprising only 4% of global population
New Details Emerge on Syrian Attacker's Motives in German Festival Stabbing
UK Introduces New Immigration Policy to Reduce Net Migration
Brazil’s President Aims to Strengthen Ties with China Amid US Trade Tensions
Senate Democrats Move to Censure Trump Over Qatar Jet Gift
First White South Africans Resettled in the U.S. Amid Controversy Over Persecution Claims
Hamas Releases Last Living US Hostage from Gaza Amid Ongoing Conflict
India and Pakistan Agreement on Ceasefire Amid Ongoing Tensions
Arsenal Stages Comeback to Draw 2-2 Against Liverpool in Premier League Clash
Trump's Upcoming Visit to Gulf Nations: Investment and Security at the Forefront
Rodrigo Duterte Awaits Trial at The Hague. Next week he might be elected mayor of his hometown
Trump fires director of U.S. Copyright Office, sources say
Retired British police officer arrested over ‘thought crime’ tweet
Cardinal Robert Prevost Elected as Pope Leo XIV, Marking a Historic Papacy
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka Arrested at ICE Facility Amid Congressional Visit
India-Pakistan conflict may be first test for Chinese military tech
Bill Gates Announces Plan to Wind Down Philanthropic Foundation and Disperse Wealth
Historic Papal Conclave Set to Commence in Rome
Huge Copper, Gold, and Silver Discovery in Argentina and Chile — But the Profits Go Abroad
Prince Harry is pleading for reconciliation — but the royals are just as sick of his victimhood as everyone else
The Road to Freedom: She Protested Putin, Escaped House Arrest, and Survived a 2,800-Kilometer Journey
OpenAI's Flip-Flop: No Longer Going Commercial, Back to Nonprofit, After Musk Lawsuit and Backlash
“Trump Supporter” Aims to Bring a MAGA-Style Shift to Romania
First From China: Zhao Xintong Wins the Snooker World Championship
Nvidia Faces Billion-Dollar Losses – Warns: China Is on Its Way to Becoming an AI Superpower
Trump Rules Out Third Term, Names JD Vance and Marco Rubio as Potential Successors
Mexico Says ‘No’ to U.S. Troops: President Sheinbaum Rejects Trump’s Offer to Fight Cartels
Nigel Farage’s Reform UK Storms the Map, Wrecking the Two-Party Monopoly
DOGE: Reimagining Government Operations with AI
Common Sense Returns to Britain's Legal System: UK Supreme Court Declares a Woman Is… a Woman
Beijing Says U.S. Is ‘Reaching Out’ for Tariff Talks Amid Soaring Trade Tensions
U.K. Court Rejects Prince Harry’s Final Appeal Over Police Security
Prince Harry’s Heartfelt Outburst Rocks the Royal Family
Trump Shares AI-Generated Image of Himself as… Pope, Prompting Outrage Reaction
Transgender Swimmer Secures Five Gold Medals at U.S. Masters Championship
Prince Harry: “I Want Reconciliation with My Family”
Germany's Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party has now been officially labeled “right-wing extremist” by the federal office for the so-called “protection of the constitution.”
Amazon Launches Satellite Internet Service Amidst Competition with SpaceX
Transformative Changes in Women's Wrestling: The Rise of WWE Superstars
The Rush to the White Gold: Global Investment Surge in Natural Hydrogen Exploration
This is a day in Spain without electricity and internet
Reform UK Surprises in British Elections, Challenging Traditional Two-Party System
180-Year-Old Christian University in South Carolina Announces Closure Due to Unmet $6 Million Fundraising Goal
Brazilian Woman Jailed for Fourteen Years for Writing “You Lost, Idiot” on Statue During Protest
Trump Administration Removes National Security Adviser Mike Waltz Amid Signal Chat Controversy
Dutch Politician Eva Vlaardingerbroek Receives Spyware Threat Alert from Apple
Paramount Board Considers Settlement in Trump’s $20 Billion Lawsuit Over "60 Minutes" Interview
U.S. Economy Shrink in Trump’s First Quarter as Tariff Policy Raises Questions
Deadline Looms for RTS Meter Replacement: Hundreds of Thousands at Risk of Heating Disruption
Sweden Grapples with Deadly Gun Violence: Suspect Arrested After Three Young Men Killed in Uppsala Hair Salon
×