'Unacceptable' for DUP to consider blocking speaker election - Sinn Fein

Michelle O'Neill has insisted that the Northern Ireland Protocol cannot be scrapped.
Author: By Dominic McGrath and Rebecca Black, PAPublished 11th May 2022
Last updated 11th May 2022

Sinn Fein has criticised the DUP's suggestion that it may choose not to elect a new Speaker when the Stormont Assembly meets on Friday.

Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said on Wednesday that his party has yet to decide whether to vote to elect a new Speaker when MLAs meet in the chamber in two days' time.

The election of the new Speaker is the first item on the agenda for MLAs following the election and requires cross-community support from nationalist and unionist members.

The DUP is refusing to return to the power-sharing Executive until its issues with the Northern Ireland Protocol are resolved.

Speaking after a meeting with Irish Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney, Michelle O'Neill said the Speaker has to be elected.

She said: "What we need to see is the positions filled - First Minister, deputy First Minister, all the ministerial positions filled - and let's get down to doing business.

"I don't think it is good enough. It is not good enough for the people here that the DUP is holding society to ransom, punishing society, preventing the establishment of a Speaker and an Executive to actually respond to the things people are worried about.

"I don't think it is acceptable the position Jeffrey Donaldson has articulated today."

Sir Jeffrey told BBC Radio Ulster that his party will decide by Friday whether to elect a new Speaker.

Magherafelt Update - 1am

Gary Middleton wins the final seat in Foyle for DUP.
Counting has finished with all 90 MLAs elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Titanic Update - 8.45pm

Former Stormont minister Nichola Mallon became one of the highest-profile casualties of the Assembly Elections after losing her seat in North Belfast.

Magherafelt Update - 5.50pm

Sinn Fein's Caoimhe Archibald and Independent Claire Sugden have been elected in East Londonderry

Titanic Update - 4.45pm

Another flurry of announcements at the Titanic Exhibition Centre, Belfast


Alan Chambers, UUP - North Down
David Brooks, DUP - East Belfast
Andy Allen, UUP - East Belfast

Magherafelt Update - 4.15pm

Sinn Fein's Michelle O'Neill and Mary-Lou McDonald have arrived in Magherafelt

Magherafelt Update - 3.25pm

Eoin Tennyson of Alliance has won the last seat in Upper Bann

Magherafelt Update - 3.05pm

Alliance's Tom Elliott has been elected in Fermanagh and South Tyrone

Magherafelt Update - 2.15pm

Declan McAleer elected in West Tyrone for Sinn Fein

Magherafelt Update - 2pm

UUP's Doug Beattie is elected in Upper Bann

Magherafelt Update - 1.30pm

Diane Dodds is elected in Upper Bann

Magherafelt Update - 1pm

The DUP's Alan Robinson is elected for East Derry at the Meadowbank Sports Arena, Magherafelt.

Magherafelt Update - 12.50pm

Three more MLAs elected for West Tyrone at Meadowbank Sports Arena, Magherafelt.
SDLP - Daniel McCrossan
SF - Maoliosa McHugh
DUP - Tom Buchanan

Magherafelt Update - 11.30am

DUP's Jonathan Buckley (left) is elected for Upper Bann

Titanic Update - 10.50am

Belfast Mayor Kate Nicholl of Alliance takes the final seat in South Belfast

Titanic Update - 10.45am

Paula Bradshaw of Alliance celebrates securing her seat

Magherafelt Update - 10.30am

Keith Buchanan first to be elected in Mid Ulster on Saturday

Day Two - 9am

Counting continues this morning in the Titanic Exhibition Centre, Ulster Univeristy Jordanstown and Meadowbank Sports Arena, Magherafelt.

Jordanstown Update - 11pm

TUV leader Jim Allister elected in North Antrim

Titanic Update - 10.50pm

DUP's Edwin Poots celebrates being elected in South Belfast

Jordanstown Update - 10pm

Former UUP leader Steve Aiken celebrates being re-elected in South Antrim

Magherafelt Update - 9.35pm

Long-serving SDLP MLA Dolores Kelly has failed to be re-elected in Upper Bann

Jordanstown Update - 8.49pm

The DUP's Gordon Lyons (right) celebrating being elected in East Antrim

Jordanstown Update - 8.42pm

celebrations already under way from the Alliance Party

Jordanstown Update - 6.40pm

DUP MP Gregory Campbell at the count in Meadowbank Sports Arena, Magherafelt.

Jordanstown Update - 5.55pm

UUP's Robbie Butler elected on second stage

Jordanstown Update - 5.15pm

Ulster Unionist Robin Swann has been returned to the Northern Ireland Assembly after he topped the poll in the North Antrim constituency.

Jordanstown Update - 5pm

Austin Lennon cant hide his excitement after Alex Easton got elected on first preference Votes

Jordanstown Update - 4.15pm

Jeffrey Donaldson is re-elected in Lagan Valley with 12,626 first preference votes

Titanic Update - 4pm

Alliance leader Naomi Long has dedicated her re-election as an MLA for East Belfast to her father-in-law who recently died.

CONFIRMED

The official overall turnout figure has been confirmed as 63.61%, down from 64.8% in the 2017 Assembly Election.

Magherafelt Update - 3.40pm

Michelle O'Neill re-elected on first count

Titanic Update - 3.25pm

Carl N Chuiln and Gerry Kelly elected on the first count in North Belfast

Titanic Update - 3pm

The Alliance Party's Kellie Armstrong was elected on the first count to the Strangford constituency with 7,015 votes.

Titanic Update - 2.30pm

Naomi Long arrives at the Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast.
"We fought a campaign that was focused on what we could do if we could get a government up and running. That has to be the focus and I think people responded to it. "

Titanic Update - 2.10pm

People Before Profit's Gerry Carroll drops into the TEC

Titanic Update - 2.05pm

Peter Weir at the Titanic Exhibition Centre this afternoon

Magherafelt Update - 1.40pm

SDLP leader Colum Eastwood at the count in Meadowbank Sports Arena, Magherafelt.

Magherafelt Update - 1.20pm

Sinn Fein's Michelle O'Neill arrives at the count in Meadowbank Sports Arena, Magherafelt
The Mid Ulster candidate is tipped to become first minister of Northern Ireland if her party can pull off a historic victory in the Assembly elections.

Magherafelt Update - 1.15pm

People Before Profit's Eamonn McCann chats to officials at the Meadowbank Sports Arena

Magherafelt Update - 1.10pm

DUP's William Irwin has arrived for the Magherafelt count at Meadow

Jordanstown Update - 1pm

TUV Leader Jim Allister looks on at Ulster University, Jordanstown

Magherafelt Update - 12.50pm

DUP's Gregory Campbell

Magherafelt Update - 12.45pm

SDLP leader Colum Eastwood arrives for the count

Magherafelt Update - 12.40pm

Voter turnout in for Upper Bann which is being counted in Magherafelt

Titanic Update - midday

The DUP's former leader Edwin Poots and party colleague Joanne Bunting at the Titanic

Jordanstown update - 10.45am

Former First Minister Paul Givan

Titanic Update - 9.42am

Counting is well underway at the Titanic Exhibition Centre, Belfast

Magherafelt Update - 10.15am

The Meadowbank Sports Arena is busy this morning

Jordanstown Update - 9.30am

TUV's Mel Lucas at the Jordanstown count

Jordanstown Update - 9.20am

Alex Easton, Independent, arrives at Jordanstown

Titanic Update - 9.15am

UUP's Andy Allen at the Titanic count

Titanic Update - 9.14am

David Brooks of the DUP awaits the first results at the TEC

Titanic Update - 9.06am

Virginia McVea, the Chief Electoral Officer visits the TEC Belfast

Jordanstown Update - 9.05am

DUP Leader Jeffrey Donaldson arrives at the Jordanstown count this morning

Jordanstown Update - 9am

UUP's Robin Swann visits the Jordanstown counting centre

Titanic Update - 8.50am

Sinn FĂ©in's Gerry Kelly arrives at the Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast

Jordanstown Update - 8.50am

Ballot boxes are open at the Ulster University campus in Jordanstown

Magherafelt Update - 8.05am

Doors have opened at the Meadowbank Sports Arena in Magherafelt

Titanic Update - 8am

The count has begun at the TEC Belfast

He said: "We will be there on Friday. Our members will be there to sign the roll. We will make a decision as to how we proceed. We'll get the group together and we'll determine how best to take this forward.

"I'm waiting to see what the Government has to say. So, that is the priority right now, to ensure that what the Government say is moving us in the right direction.

"I'm simply saying that we will need to make a decision on that. That's one of the decisions we've got to make."

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss is set to tell the EU that the dispute over Northern Ireland cannot drag on, amid concerns in Europe that the UK is poised to take unilateral action on the post-Brexit arrangements in the region.

Those concerns are shared in Dublin, and Mr Coveney visited Belfast on Friday for talks with several of the Stormont parties in a bid to break the impasse on a return to powersharing.

Ms O'Neill said her meeting with Mr Coveney had been "constructive" because Sinn Fein has a "shared interest" in restoring the Executive.

"It is obvious that we made the case that we want the Executive up and running, working on behalf of the people," she said.

"There should be no more delays. That should have happened by now. We had the election results last week. The people have had their say.

"We encourage all parties to turn up on Friday."

Ms O'Neill insisted that the Northern Ireland Protocol cannot be scrapped.

"The protocol is here to stay. There are ways to smooth its implementation, and we are certainly up for that, but the rhetoric from the British Government in the last number of days is serving only to pander to the DUP."

Sir Jeffrey also said on Tuesday that he will not leave the House of Commons to take up his seat in the Northern Ireland Assembly until issues around the protocol are resolved.

On Wednesday, he stressed there is "unfinished business" at Westminster.

"If the Government are going to act, then I believe, as the unionist leader, I need to be here to see that through because it's fundamentally important," he said.

"There isn't a single Unionist Member of the Assembly elected last week who supports the protocol. We can't go on with that kind of situation."

He also said he does not anticipate that any DUP candidate who failed to secure a seat in the Assembly will be co-opted to represent Lagan Valley while he remains at Westminster.

He said the seat will not remain "vacant" and that an announcement on his temporary replacement will be made in the coming days.Mich