O'Neill calls for British-Irish summit to chart path to return of Stormont

Sinn Fein vice president Michelle O'Neill has called on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar to co-chair a summit meeting to chart a course back to devolution at Stormont.

Ms O'Neill reiterated her call for an urgent meeting of the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference.

"It should be at the highest level, at Taoiseach and prime minister level, and we want to see a plan to have the institutions back up and running," she told reporters in Belfast.

Ms O'Neill said the DUP's ongoing blockade on Stormont was "totally unacceptable".

"There's no doubt the political landscape across this island is changing, but Sinn Fein is leading on that change and we are in this decade of opportunity and people want new beginnings," she said.

"We said that we will work for all, and that I will be a first minister for all, and I'm ready to start that work today, I've been ready to start that work since last May.

"One party's boycott of the Assembly cannot go on and the Executive must be formed now.

"So, it's now time to make politics work and deliver for people right across this island. That's what the public have just endorsed in this recent election again."

O'Neill said it would not be acceptable for a return to Stormont to be delayed until the autumn.

"Now, more than ever, I think it's really, really important that this summit (British Irish Intergovernmental Conference) happens as a matter of urgency," she said.

"I mean there's a lot of talk about the autumn timeframe. That's not acceptable. That's drift.

"We should not allow this to drift into the autumn. So, now's the time for action and the two governments should step up."

DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said his party was committed to seeing Stormont restored, but it had to be on "solid foundations".

He said: "There is progress to be made, there is more work to be done. Myself and my team will be working hard to deliver what the people of Northern Ireland need.

"We're committed to seeing this place (Stormont) properly restored and functioning and delivering.

"Whether that is more effective, more efficient public services, whether that's tackling the problems with our public finances.

"We will be at Westminster making the case to the Treasury and we will be here preparing for the restoration of the Assembly - but on a solid foundation.

"That was a key message that we put forward on our election campaign. This place, Stormont, needs to be restored on solid foundations."

He added: "Progress in Northern Ireland is only made with the support of unionists and nationalists. Whatever changes have taken place during the election, that reality remains a constant."

Donaldson said he recognises there are many unionists who want to see Stormont return.

Asked if he was responsible for the success of Sinn Fein in the local government elections, he said: "I take full responsibility for the success of the DUP in this election.

"We had everything thrown at us, including the kitchen sink and we stood up, our vote held up, and we held our seats.

"I take credit for that but I recognise that we need to do better in unionism, we need to be winning more seats.

"I recognise that many unionists want to see Stormont back up and running, of course they do. We do as a party, we are a devolutionist party, but I want the foundations of Stormont to be strong.

"We would be doing a disservice to the people of Northern Ireland if we just went back into Stormont knowing that the problems that are there have not been resolved."

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