THE SDLP IN Northern Ireland has suspended the whip from one of its MLAs after he left Stormont early for a GAA match.

Newry and Armagh MLA Justin McNulty is the manager of Laois GAA.

He left a sitting of the Northern Ireland Assembly before its conclusion yesterday to attend a match in Co Wexford between Laois and the home team.

The assembly was sitting to appoint ministers after nearly two years of blocks on forming an Executive by the DUP.

Sinn Féin’s Michelle O’Neill became the first nationalist First Minister, with ministerial roles taken by the four largest parties in the assembly – Sinn Féin, the DUP, Alliance and the UUP.

SDLP received the fewest seats of the five in the 2022 election and is now leading the opposition.

In a statement, the party confirmed it suspended the whip from McNulty yesterday evening, saying he left the sitting without seeking permission and did not return for the rest of the parliamentary business, including the SDLP taking up its role as the official opposition.

An SDLP spokesperson said that “all SDLP MLAs were informed by the party’s Chief Whip that attendance at today’s sitting was mandatory for the duration of the Assembly proceedings”.

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“This was a historic day that saw the restoration of devolved government, the election of the first nationalist First Minister and Leader of the Opposition. People rightly expect their elected representatives to be there for work,” the spokesperson said.

“We expected all members of our team to be there to support their colleagues. Accordingly, as Mr McNulty was not in his place, did not seek the permission for his absence and breached the direct instruction of the whip, the SDLP Chief Whip has suspended the whip with immediate effect.”