The leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) has stated that he hopes Carla Lockhart will not leave the party, despite growing internal tensions. Lockhart has demanded that the DUP remove First Minister Michelle O’Neill from office by having Emma Little-Pengelly resign as deputy first minister.
Party Standpoint and Engagement Halt
The DUP confirmed on Thursday that Little-Pengelly will not participate in joint engagements with O’Neill, and permission will not be granted for the first minister to operate on a solo basis. Gavin Robinson said he hopes Lockhart will remain in the party while noting that everyone shares the view that political sanctions are necessary for Michelle O’Neill’s behavior. Robinson told BBC Radio Ulster’s Good Morning Ulster programme that the decision among DUP MLAs to cease engagement with the first minister and deputy first minister was unanimous. He described the halting of engagement as consequences of the first minister stepping outside her pledge of office.
The political friction follows unionist anger over Sinn Féin’s involvement in protests that prevented a contentious Orange Order march in Portadown from passing along the mainly nationalist Garvaghy Road. In a letter to party colleagues on Thursday, Lockhart indicated she will take her own course if O’Neill is not removed as first minister. Other DUP representatives, including assembly member Diane Forsythe, have backed Lockhart’s calls for O’Neill to be removed from office, while Maurice Bradley MLA stated that removing O’Neill would not require the Assembly to collapse. The Belfast Telegraph reported that Lockhart is expected to resign from the party, following her recent resignation from the party’s officer board over Robinson’s strategy.
Broader Political Reaction
On Thursday, the DUP blocked O’Neill from attending the National Economic Council, a meeting that was also due to be attended by the prime minister and all devolved leaders. Robinson defended his party’s stance on institutional pressures, noting that they will not take steps that punish the people of Northern Ireland and that work can still be achieved through the executive.
Other parties in the Northern Ireland Assembly criticized the DUP’s move. Sinn Féin’s Chris Hazard asserted there had been no breach by the first minister on the pledge of office, calling the DUP action a petulant and damaging stunt that harms local businesses, workers, and families. Alliance Party MLA Kate Nicholl called Northern Ireland’s absence from the National Economic Council completely baffling. Traditional Unionist Voice leader Jim Allister labeled the DUP response as a sham and beyond pathetic, while Ulster Unionist Party leader Jon Burrows termed the situation a political fudge. SDLP representative Matthew O’Toole added that plunging the region into more political chaos is not a sensible strategic move for unionism.
