Fresh turmoil in N Ireland as DUP leader suffers revolt

The leader of Northern Ireland’s biggest political party suffered a revolt on Thursday after striking a deal to avert the collapse of the region’s government.

Democratic Unionist party leader Edwin Poots nominated Paul Givan to be Northern Ireland’s new first minister in defiance of DUP politicians who opposed the move because of concessions made to nationalist Sinn Féin to keep the power-sharing government intact.

The revolt against Poots is the latest sign of turbulence in Northern Ireland that has been fuelled by the terms of the UK’s Brexit deal with the EU.

Sammy Wilson, a senior DUP MP, criticised Poots’ nomination of Givan and refused to rule out a vote of no confidence in his leadership.

DUP officers later gathered to consider Poots’ position. “The numbers are worse than they were against Arlene [Foster],” said one person familiar with the situation, referring to the ousting of Poots’ predecessor in April after she lost the support of DUP politicians.

The ructions came after intense efforts by the party and Sinn Féin to try to avert the collapse of the Northern Ireland government.

Sinn Féin had stated that it would only continue in the power-sharing government if legislation to enhance the status of the Irish language was quickly approved at Stormont.

The DUP refused, but the deadlock was broken on Wednesday night when the UK government indicated it would pass the legislation at Westminster.

The move cleared the way for Poots to nominate Givan as Foster’s successor as Northern Ireland first minister. Sinn Féin renominated Michelle O’Neill as deputy first minister.

But Wilson said DUP MPs and the party’s members at Stormont had made it “very, very clear” in a vote on Thursday that they were against Poots immediately nominating Givan.

“It’s difficult to have confidence in anyone who sets aside the strongly held views from all the various sections of the party and goes ahead,” added Wilson, referring to Poots.

“I guarantee that most unionist people . . . will be appalled that the powers of the assembly will . . . be set aside to promote a niche interest of Sinn Féin.”

Poots said he was putting forward Givan without “a precondition from Sinn Féin” and the objective was to make Northern Ireland “a better place for everyone”.

Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said on Wednesday she had asked Westminster to intervene because it had become “abundantly clear” that the DUP would not prioritise the Irish language legislation.

“We’ve essentially stepped around them and broken what I think has been a significant logjam,” she added.

Poots has been DUP leader for less than three weeks, taking over from Foster after Brexit played an important part in her ousting as DUP leader and first minister.

Deirdre Heenan, professor of social policy at Ulster university, said it was “hard to overstate the strategic political and strategic failure of the Poots putsch”.

“That DUP [members at Stormont] and MPs voted against nominating for first minister reflects anger and disarray within the party,” she added.

Alliance party leader Naomi Long welcomed the appointments of Givan and O’Neill but said the events of the past weeks had been an “unedifying experience”. “We need to wean ourselves off this toxic cycle of drama,” she added.

The UK and Irish governments also welcomed the nominations, which avoid leaving Northern Ireland rudderless as it heads into the often-contentious Protestant summer marching season.

UK Northern Ireland secretary Brandon Lewis described the agreement as an “important milestone . . . in ensuring the future stability of Northern Ireland”.

“The stability of the executive and the full operation of all the institutions of the Good Friday Agreement are critical for peace and progress,” said Ireland’s taoiseach Micheál Martin on Twitter.