Mary Lou McDonald says Michelle O'Neill doesn't need to step aside over Bobby Storey funeral row

Michelle O'Neill does not need to aside as deputy First Minister despite a growing row following her attendance at Bobby Storey's funeral, Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald has said.

The SDLP, DUP, Alliance, Ulster Unionists and Greens have called on Ms O'Neill to step aside while investigations are carried out into possible breaches of social distancing at the IRA veteran's funeral on Tuesday.

Ms McDonald said Ms O'Neill did not need to stand aside.

"I'm very conscious that our whole island has come through an incredibly difficult time," she said. 

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"None more so than people who have lost loved ones in this time of a public health emergency.

"I think at the beginning of this crisis, it was incredibly difficult for families to lose a loved one and not have the ability to say goodbye in the way that you would in normal circumstances."

[ READ MORE: Church notified of changes to guidance after Bobby Storey funeralOpens in new window ]

Ms McDonald said she was "honoured" to attend Bobby Storey's funeral.

"In relation to Bobby Storey's funeral, I was very honoured to be asked by his family to attend the mass and I was one of a very small number of people to be there and to do a reading at that mass," she said. 

"There was a limited cortege and people lining the streets.

"But this is the problem, when somebody is a public figure or where somebody dies in very tragic circumstances - people will come out to pay their respects.

"I believe that those who organised their funeral did their very best to maintain social distancing. I also know public sentiment when someone who is known or admired loses their life in tragic circumstances, then people will come out to pay their respects."

A Sinn Fein spokesman said today: "Michelle O'Neill will not be stepping aside as Deputy First Minister under any circumstances.

"The funeral of Bobby Storey was organised in accordance with his grieving family's wishes.

"The organisers did everything they could to ensure regulations were met and if it was not for the plan that organisers put in place with the PSNI to limit numbers then there would have been even bigger numbers in attendance."

Ms O'Neill had been criticised for attending the former senior Sinn Fein figure's large funeral in west Belfast.

She was one of several senior Sinn Féin members who joined the cortege while hundreds of people lined the road.

The PSNI is investigating possible social distancing breaches at the funeral.

The most recent guidelines say only up to 30 people should attend a funeral during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

SDLP minister Nichola Mallon said Ms O'Neill was quizzed about her attendance at the funeral.

"At today's Executive meeting the Deputy First Minister set out her case, she set out her views as to why she doesn't think she broke any of the guidance or regulations," she said.

"A number of ministers expressed their views and a number of us expressed concern that damage has been done to the credibility of the Executive in terms of trying to clearly communicate to people what they need to be doing and bringing them with us."

Asked if she was content that Ms O'Neill continue on as Deputy First Minister, Ms Mallon responded: "Colum Eastwood, our party leader, has set out the SDLP's position. I just think we all have to recognise that yes, this was a very difficult situation, we had a grieving family, but we always have to show leadership even in the midst of our grief and a lot of hurt has been caused, and I think an apology earlier on would have helped this situation."

SDLP leader Colum Eastwood said earlier today that the deputy First Minister should step aside and allow her attendance to be examined by Assembly standards authorities.

Questioning whether Ms O'Neill's actions broke coronavirus regulations, Mr Eastwood said if it had been him, his party "wouldn't let me stay in the position that I am in (party leader)".

He told the BBC: "The point isn't that she accidentally broke some obscure piece of guidance - she broke the guidance that she set out, that she argued for, that she stood over and made the case for, rightly and sensibly, but then decided to set that all aside because, I think, for Sinn Fein, they believe that there is one rule for them and one rule for everyone else."

Mr Donaldson said the DUP met this morning to discuss their response after Ms O'Neill insisted she had acted appropriately.

He claimed Ms O'Neill has "failed to recognise the public mood on this".

"I think now is the time to step up and demonstrate respect and integrity," he told the BBC.

"The law on these matters is clear and what happened at that funeral has sent out a very, very bad message to people in Northern Ireland.

"In light of the failure of Sinn Fein yesterday to grasp the opportunity to apologise, it is our view that the deputy first minister must now step back from her role while these matters are investigated by the PSNI.

"We will be asking the standards authorities in the Assembly to examine whether those MLAs who attended the funeral broke the code of conduct for MLAs, and we will also be asking the PSNI to specifically investigate any potential regulatory breaches by executive ministers including the deputy first minister.

"Given the seriousness of this situation, given the need to rebuild public confidence, given the need to have clarity in the Executive message on Covid-19 and the risk to the public, then yes that's what we believe should now happen."

Mr Donaldson said the message from the Executive has been damaged by Ms O'Neill's actions but stopped short of threatening to collapse Stormont.

"We're in the middle of a pandemic... the Executive stepped up to the mark, what happened this week damaged and undermined what the Executive has been doing but are we seriously saying that the right thing to do is bring the Executive crashing down because of the wrongdoing of Sinn Fein?

Sinn Fein need to step up now and take responsibility for what they have done," he said.

"We shouldn't be punishing the people of Northern Ireland for this. Sinn Fein are the people who need to take that responsibility and to take the steps to re-establish the credibility of the messaging of the Executive around the Covid-19 pandemic.

"We're going to provide the leadership that Northern Ireland needs at this time in a pandemic, in an emergency like we have with our health situation at the moment. People expect and need leadership.

"There is no ambiguity around what I am saying this morning, we believe the deputy first minister should now step back from her responsibilities and because we believe that is essential now for rebuilding public confidence.

"We recognise that does have to happen, we have outlined the steps that we believe should now be taken and it is up to Sinn Fein to respond to that and to now take those steps."

Mr Donaldson said the DUP is calling for an urgent meeting of the Party Leaders Forum to "discuss a way forward in order to re-establish confidence".

"What we don't have is the power to remove the Deputy First Minister unless we bring the whole government crashing down," he said.

"We now have four parties out of the five in the Executive who are calling for Michelle O'Neill to step aside, I think she now has to consider her position and if she doesn't and if Sinn Fein fail to respond then let's see where we are.

"But I am taking one step at a time and we have outlined the measures it would take to rebuild public confidence and what is now necessary to do that.

"We are going to sit down with the other party leaders in the Executive and discuss how we deal with this. This is not just about the DUP, it is about the collective responsibility of the Executive to provide the leadership the people of Northern Ireland need."

Green Party leader Clare Bailey said: “It was bitterly disappointing to see flagrant and conscious breaches of the coronavirus regulations on the part of the deputy First Minister and other Sinn Fein figures at a funeral this week."

She added: “I believe that people are genuinely hurt and angry that the deputy First Minister did not do herself what she asked of others. 

“The deputy First Minister must act at all times in the best interests of everyone in Northern Ireland. There can be no greater collective interest that our health and well-being. 

“Michelle O’Neill should consider whether her priority during this pandemic is the people of Northern Ireland or the Republican family.

“The Green Party believes that the deputy First Minster needs to step aside during any ongoing investigation into this matter.”

Tanaiste Leo Varadkar told reporters in Dublin today: "I think it is important that politicians try to lead by example - there are rules and regulations that we make and we expect others to stick to them.

"I don't want to comment on a funeral because you know, ultimately it was a funeral and I think we need to respect that.

"I do think there was a huge contrast between what we saw last Saturday where Micheal Martin became Taoiseach and his family couldn't travel up from Cork to be with him.

"In contrast, Michelle O'Neill turned up for a photo-op. It does show a different attitude. Sinn Fein is different to other parties and not in a good way."