SINN Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald has warned the DUP that it will be making a " very grave political error" if it seeks to destabilise the Stormont institutions over concerns about the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Telling the DUP it was "evidently not in step with broad public opinion" Mrs McDonald urged them to "work alongside the rest of us" in maximising the benefits of the post-Brexit trade arrangements.
Speaking in Belfast yesterday, the Sinn Féin president signalled the party was ready to share-power with the DUP under new leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson but insisted it must be on the basis of "real partnership".
She warned her freshly-crowned DUP counterpart not to threaten the future of the devolved institutions.
"The DUP will be making another very grave political error if they seek to endanger the political stability of the institutions over the consequences of the outworking of their Brexit policy," the Sinn Féin leader said.
Her remarks came as the EU and British government appeared to have brokered an eleventh hour compromise on the element of the protocol that would have blocked the import of chilled meats from Britain into the north.
The ban was due to come into force at the end of the month but the European Commission has agreed to extend the grace period.
However, the EU said it wanted further discussions with the British government before confirming the delay.
Ahead of the move by Brussels, Secretary of State Brandon Lewis had said the protocol in its current form is "not sustainable".
He told a Westminster committee that any changes to the east-west trading arrangements must address what he termed "commercial discrimination" against businesses and customers.
Outgoing DUP lesder Edwin Poots said earlier that he had received assurances from the british government that there would be changes to the protocol next month.
Meanwhile, a former Conservative government minister has urged Boris Johnson to “tell the truth” about the necessity to implement the protocol.
Chris Patten – now Lord Patten of Barnes – said the British prime minister should stop blaming others for Brexit problems.
Speaking in Derry, where he last night delivered the inaugural Seamus Mallon Lecture, the Tory grandee warned Mr Johnson that he must be blunt in saying that the protocol is legally binding.
Lord Patten, who oversaw policing reform in Northern Ireland, said that Brexit meant there had to be a “credible border” between Britain and Northern Ireland if the Good Friday Agreement was to be upheld.
"This is what the British government signed up to. It has standing in international law," he said.
