Stormont Assembly Adopts Motion Condemning DUP’s 2021 Meeting Boycott

The Stormont assembly has approved a motion that expresses criticism of Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) ministers regarding their non-attendance at North South Ministerial Council (NSMC) meetings during 2021. These DUP ministers had declined to participate in sessions of the inter-jurisdictional organization as a form of protest against post-Brexit trade inspections mandated by the Northern Ireland Protocol. Since then, NSMC meetings have resumed following the re-establishment of Stormont’s devolved government in February. On Monday, a Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) motion to “condemn” the boycott received support from a majority of 50 assembly members against 31. This development follows a determination by the assembly’s standards commissioner that DUP ministers Paul Givan and Gordon Lyons, along with former ministers Michelle McIlveen, Gary Middleton, and Edwin Poots, had violated the ministerial code. Furthermore, Belfast’s High Court deemed the withdrawal to be unlawful. Matthew O’Toole, an SDLP assembly member and leader of the assembly’s opposition, stated that the motion aimed at “registering clear condemnation.” He further commented, “It isn’t about scoring points. It is about accountability.” Brian Kingston, a DUP assembly member, indicated that the conduct of DUP ministers within the preceding Stormont executive stemmed from apprehensions regarding the Northern Ireland Protocol. He asserted, “The concerns of unionists had been trampled on and the DUP makes no apology for bringing matters to a head.” In the course of the debate, the assembly was informed that First Minister Michelle O’Neill and Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly were unable to offer a reply due to the fact that “there is no shared position across the joint office.” The NSMC was established as part of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, facilitating collaboration between ministers from Dublin and Stormont on issues of shared interest. Sinn Féin assembly member Declan Kearney remarked that in a “post-Brexit era,” north-south cooperation “has never been more important.” He added that any efforts to “hollow out” any of the agreement’s institutions were “unacceptable.” In support of the motion, Alliance Party assembly member Paula Bradshaw expressed that she understood the “frustration” concerning the previous boycott of NSMC meetings. Doug Beattie, former leader of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), commented that the non-attendance at NSMC meetings “didn’t achieve anything.” However, he also stated he was “not sure what this motion is trying to achieve.”