BELFAST (Reuters) – Northern Ireland Deputy First Minister Michelle O’Neill rejected calls on Thursday by her partner in government, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), to stand down temporarily for allegedly undermining COVID-19 restrictions.
The DUP, which jointly leads the region’s devolved power-sharing executive with Sinn Fein, called for O’Neill to step aide pending a probe into her attendance at the funeral of a party member that attracted large crowds on Tuesday.
“Michelle will not be standing aside temporarily, or standing down,” a Sinn Fein spokesman told Reuters. O’Neill said on Monday that she was very satisfied her actions were in line with public health advice.
(Reporting by Amanda Ferguson, writing by Padraic Halpin, Editing by Catherine Evans)
