Sinn Féin MP John Finucane has branded the arrival of the Tory leadership contest to the north ‘totally insulting’ and said they have no regard for the people of the north.

The North Belfast MP said:

“The Tories have no mandate and not a single elected representative in Ireland and they have absolutely no regard for the democratic wishes of the people of the north.

“It’s totally insulting for Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak to rock up here today to choose a Tory leader and British Prime Minister that no one in the north voted for in the first place.  

“What people did vote for was to oppose the destructive Brexit that they forced upon us and to invest an extra £1 billion to fix the health service that they have run into the ground with cruel cuts for over a decade.

“And now the Tories are propping up the DUP’s block on an Executive being formed and money being spent during a cost-of-living emergency, while attempting to strip away our businesses’ unique access to the British and EU markets that is creating jobs here.

“No matter who becomes Tory leader or British Prime Minister, it is clear that they will not act in the best interests of people in Ireland.”