Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris has welcomed pledges by Stormont leaders to ensure the stability of the power-sharing institutions in light of the “shocking news” relating to Jeffrey Donaldson’s resignation as DUP leader.
In a statement released on Easter Sunday, Mr Heaton-Harris also welcomed the appointment of Gavin Robinson as the DUP’s interim leader.
Mr Donaldson (61), who remains the Lagan Valley MP, stood down on Friday after being charged with sexual offences, a development which Mr Robinson described as a “devastating revelation” for the party.
It has been reported that in his resignation letter to ruling party officers, Mr Donaldson wrote that he intends to strenuously contest the “historical” charges.
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First Minister Michelle O’Neill confirmed on Saturday that she has spoken with the other party leaders in the Stormont Executive – including Mr Robinson – since Mr Donaldson’s departure and they were in agreement there was no threat to the devolved Government.
Speaking at a 1916 Rising commemoration event in Dublin on Sunday, she said her priority is “stability and cohesion”.
Ms O’Neill said the parties now had to “knuckle down” and “do the business of Government”.
Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly, who is joint head of Government in Northern Ireland, also called for stability and said she would “work closely” with Mr Robinson.
Mr Heaton-Harris noted that it is now two months since the restoration of the Stormont Assembly following a two-year boycott by the DUP over post-Brexit trading arrangements.
“In that time we have seen how the political parties of Northern Ireland can work together with the first and deputy First Ministers demonstrating in word and deed their commitment to making Stormont work for everyone in Northern Ireland,” Mr Heaton-Harris said on Sunday.
“Following the shocking news of Friday morning, I welcome their commitment to ensure this great work continues and can guarantee the UK government will continue to work with all the political parties to build strongly on this progress.
“We will continue to work alongside the Executive to make NI a great place to live, work and invest.”
In an email message to party members on Saturday, Mr Robinson said the DUP was “not about any one individual”.
“We are a party of MPs, MLAs, councillors, and scores of dedicated members across all parts of Northern Ireland,” Mr Robinson said.
He said “the police service and courts must be allowed to complete their processes without interference”, adding that “nothing that any of us say or do must in any way compromise that process”.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) released two statements over the weekend saying it was “aware of ongoing commentary on social media platforms” and in the media, and warning of the need to protect the integrity of a live investigation.
On Sunday, the PSNI said it was aware of the reporting of its investigation “timeline”, adding that it wanted to remind local communities and the media that speculation was “unhelpful, inaccurate and may ultimately have a negative effect on the criminal justice process”.
In Dublin, presumptive taoiseach Simon Harris, who is due to be elected to the role on April 9th, said his priority was to “continue to support the institutions of the Good Friday agreement” in the wake of Mr Donaldson’s resignation.
He promised that North-South engagement, as well as between Dublin and London would be pursued in “every way that we can”.
Mr Harris said he was conscious that there is a criminal justice process under way.
Senior sources in Dublin sought to downplay any immediate risk to the Stormont Assembly.
One senior Coalition source said that they “anticipate the institutions will continue to operate and function notwithstanding recent events”.
A second pointed to a planned meeting of the North-South Ministerial Council on April 8th, which will be one of Taoiseach Leo Varadkar’s final official functions, and argued that the business of relations between Dublin and Belfast was not focused on “personalities”.
Green Party leader Eamon Ryan said that the message from the political leadership in the North was that “they’re going to provide that stability and continue delivering for the people up north – I think that’s really important”.
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