Sinn Féin Leas-Uachtarán Michelle O’Neill has said the decision by the British government to scrap Tory/NIO plans to bring back double-jobbing for MPs and MLAs proves once again that the DUP is out of step and the Tories out of order.

Michelle O’Neill said: 

“Plans to bring back double-jobbing were unacceptable and the British government’s about turn on this issue was the right thing to do.

“This was a cynical and crude attempt by Boris Johnson and the NIO to prop up the DUP and facilitate Jeffrey Donaldson’s return to the Assembly.=

“These plans did not reflect what was agreed by the parties and governments in New Decade, New Approach.

“They were roundly rejected and rightly opposed by the majority of Assembly parties and proves yet again that the DUP is out of step and the Tories out of order.

“Yesterday the local parties wrote jointly to Boris Johnson opposing this amendment, and today’s Tory u-turn is a result of that cross-party opposition.”