"Tories are bad for workers and families": Michelle O'Neill reacts to Boris Johnson vote of confidence

Sinn Fein Stormont leader Michelle O'Neill has said that the Conservative Party are "bad for workers and families" after she was asked her thoughts on the Prime Minister's vote of confidence

She went on to say "infighting" in the Conservative Party is having an impact on the lives of people in Northern Ireland.

"The Tories themselves are bad for workers and families, the Tories themselves brought us austerity, they brought us Brexit, they brought us all of this mess over the course of recent weeks and they've brought us now, their efforts that are deliberately attempting to over ride parts of the protocol that they themselves agreed, so breaching international law. I believe that's going to continue over the course of this week," she said.

Michelle O'Neill was speaking outside City Hall on Tuesday after the Stormont political parties met with the head of the Northern Ireland civil service, Jayne Brady, amid the continuing impasse over forming a new Executive.

DUP chief whip Sammy Wilson described the people of Northern Ireland as "victims" of the Prime Minister's "inconsistencies and promises made and promises broken" over the Northern Ireland Protocol, but hopes MPs can now "get focussed on things that the Government should be doing" in the wake of the confidence vote.

Speaking to PA, Mr Wilson said of the protocol that "we are on the cusp on getting some of those issues addressed and I want to see that happening" but that the DUP "will only have faith when we actually see the legislation through the House of Commons. We've had these promises before.

"We've been victims of his inconsistencies and of promises made and promises broken, but he is the Prime Minister, he is the one the Conservative Party has chosen to lead the Government, and all we want to do is make sure that, one, he does his job and two, no impediments are put in his way of doing that job," he said.