Northern Ireland

Last chance to call off Assembly election today, claims Alliance leader

Alliance Party leader Naomi Long has called for reform at Stormont. Picture by Hugh Russell.
Alliance Party leader Naomi Long has called for reform at Stormont. Picture by Hugh Russell. Alliance Party leader Naomi Long has called for reform at Stormont. Picture by Hugh Russell.

The Alliance Party leader Naomi Long has said another Stormont election could be called off if emergency legislation is introduced at Westminster today.

Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris has repeatedly stated the law requires him to call a new election by midnight on October 28.

A Northern Ireland language and culture bill is up for discussion today, which Mrs Long said would provide the last opportunity to halt an Assembly election.

“I think irrespective of who the Secretary of State is, we know what the law says. The law says an election will be called on Friday,” she said.

“Ultimately for it to happen ahead of Thursday night’s deadline, it would really have to happen on Wednesday.”

She added: “So there is an opportunity on the basis simply that there’s time set aside in parliament for Northern Ireland legislation.”

Mrs Long said a bigger priority would be a reform of Stormont rules to avoid the “nonsense” of regular collapse and crisis.

“My experience is that an election has never solved it. In 2003 (there was) the November election to try to resolve the collapse of 2002.

“We ended up in a situation where we weren’t restored until 2007.

"In 2017, the institutions collapsed in January. We had a snap election in March and we didn’t get back up and running till 2020. So, if you’re going to learn anything from history, it’s that an election without resolution won’t solve the problem.”

With the potential for a negotiated settlement with the EU over the Northern Ireland Protocol possible within weeks, she said it made no sense to invest in a “fruitless” election that would cost over £6m and be “potentially damaging.”

Meanwhile, the outgoing Assembly Speaker Alex Maskey has confirmed a recall of MLAs for Thursday afternoon at 12pm.

In a letter, he said he had received a valid notice from 30 members for the recall to appoint new speakers and a Stormont Executive.

Sinn Féin's Vice President Michelle O'Neill commented: “Now more than ever, we need all parties working together and prioritising supporting people. The denial of democracy must end now.”

SDLP MLA Matthew O'Toole said the DUP's "selfish" actions had failed to bring about any change in the Protocol arrangements.

“The DUP have an opportunity this Thursday to get back to work, allow the Stormont institutions to function and prevent a winter election that will solve none of the issues facing us in the North at the minute. An election won’t get support to those struggling due to the cost of living emergency, it won’t cut our hospital waiting lists and it won’t facilitate an agreement on the Protocol."

The DUP's Director of elections, Gordon Lyons MLA, dismissed the recall move.

"We don’t need recall stunts. Northern Ireland needs a lasting solution which unionists can support. Powersharing is not possible without such an agreement. We are always willing to explain the problems one more time, but Sinn Féin has ignored unionism’s warnings for more than two years. That’s not the behaviour of people who believe in powersharing.”