LAST UPDATE | 9 Feb 2023
PUSHING BACK A deadline for calling fresh Assembly elections in Northern Ireland is “legislating for further drift”, the Sinn Féin president has said.
Mary Lou McDonald criticised the move by Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris, and said there was a “real danger” of more drift amid the political deadlock.
Heaton-Harris announced today that the local parties will have until 18 January 2024 to form a ministerial executive at Stormont.
If that deadline passes, then the Government would come under a legal responsibility to hold a snap poll within the following 12 weeks.
A statement from the Northern Ireland Office and the Heaton-Harris said that this move will “allow time and space for the NI Parties to work together to return to government”.
In a tweet, Heaton-Harris said: “I have introduced a Bill to create more time for Parties to work together and return to government.
“An election in the coming weeks will not be helpful or welcome for people in Northern Ireland.”
Today I have introduced a Bill to create more time for Parties to work together and return to government. An election in the coming weeks will not be helpful or welcome for people in Northern Ireland.
— Chris Heaton-Harris MP (@chhcalling) February 9, 2023
1/3 https://t.co/81B2Oojt3z
The statement from the Northern Ireland Office added: “The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has concluded that another election at this time is not the best course of action to facilitate the restoration of the Executive having spoken to political representatives, businesses and communities in Northern Ireland.”
Several deadlines for the calling of a snap poll have come and gone amid the ongoing powersharing impasse at Stormont.
After the latest one passed on 19 January, the UK Government assumed a legal responsibility to hold an election within 12 weeks.
The DUP collapsed the devolved executive last February in protest at Brexit’s Northern Ireland Protocol, and the party has made clear it will not lift its block on powersharing until radical changes are made to the contentious Irish Sea trading arrangements.
Heaton-Harris today said: “We are working hard to resolve the problems caused by the Protocol and want to see an agreed solution with the EU.
“The restoration of the Executive, in line with the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement, remains my top priority. I will continue to do everything I can to help the NI Parties work together to make that happen.”
The EU and UK are engaged in intensive negotiations amid mounting speculation that a deal is on the cards to reduce the red tape on trade between Britain and Northern Ireland.
However, a deal between London and Brussels would not necessarily lead to the return of powersharing, as the DUP has insisted any agreement that may emerge must meet its tests on removing trade barriers if it is to countenance re-entering Stormont.
Yesterday, the UK Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the Northern Ireland Protocol is lawful, following a challenge brought by a collective of unionists and Brexiteers.
Civil servants are currently running public services in Northern Ireland in the absence of elected ministers.
They have taken the reins at a time when Stormont is facing a financial overspend running to hundreds of millions of pounds.
The Northern Ireland (Executive Formation) Bill will “retain the power to name an election date any time during the period, if necessary”.
During a round-table meeting between Heaton-Harris and the Stormont parties in Belfast today, the political stalemate, the stalled Daithi’s Law on organ donation, a 2023-24 budget and protocol negotiations were discussed.
Heaton-Harris said he was disappointed at having to introduce the legislation but said he was aware that many people in Northern Ireland are not in favour of another poll.
He said the legislation will also enable the UK Government to bring this period to an early end and move to elections sooner, if it becomes necessary.
“My priority remains the restoration of fully functioning power-sharing institutions and I will continue to work with the NI parties to ensure this happens as soon as possible,” he added.
In January, the parties were asked to meet British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly and Heaton-Harris in Belfast to discuss the protocol deadlock.
However, Sinn Féin did not take part after party president Mary Lou McDonald was not invited, and the SDLP declined to take part in protest at the exclusion of McDonald.
The five largest parties at Stormont took part in the round-table meeting.
DUP MLA Gordon Lyons reiterated his party’s position that they want concerns around the protocol addressed.
He contended that pushing back the deadline for Stormont elections was less important than resolving issues with the protocol.
“From our point of view, we don’t fear going to the electorate, we’re quite happy to get our mandate renewed. In fact, we think we’ll improve on the election results from last time,” he said.
“But ultimately, what we want to see sorted out is the protocol.
“Get it resolved in accordance with the seven tests that we’ve set out, which allow us to form that stable executive to deal with the issues that we’re facing.”
McDonald criticised the DUP for its position, describing it as “unacceptable” that the party is preventing the formation of a new Stormont Executive.
She said Heaton-Harris also expressed a “level of frustration” during the meeting over the ongoing deadlock.
“He tells us that he wishes to see the institutions re-established, we are prepared to take him on his word,” she said.
“I have described the decision to set the election deadline back to January as legislating for further drift, I think that’s a real danger.
“I hope I’m wrong in that, and I hope that the positive noises that we have been hearing in recent times actually amount now to a result – inclusive government back up and running again with the kind of budget that will be needed here to support health services, to support education, to support the infrastructural needs of this place, which are very significant.”
McDonald also warned there can be no return to direct rule if the powersharing institutions are not resurrected.
“We’ll be looking at a partnership arrangement, joint authority, between Dublin and London,” she said.
“That’s the alternative and I think the DUP need to very soberly assess that prospect.”
SDLP leader Colum Eastwood called for the Stormont institutions to be restored and added that the focus must turn to “finding solutions so that MLAs can get back to work and tackle the multiple issues impacting people”.
Eastwood said that the proposed legislation will “put an end to the meaningless series of deadlines that have come and gone”.
However, he added: “The British Government cannot take this as an opportunity to take their foot off the pedal or back down on the pressure needed to reform and restore the Assembly.
“Families across Northern Ireland won’t be breathing easier at this news and neither should political leaders.”
-With additional reporting from Press Association
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