Today's empty chamber after a series of walkouts. Today's empty chamber after a series of walkouts. THE FIRST SITTING of Stormont in almost three years ended in farce this afternoon as there were not enough MLAs present to elect a speaker.
The sitting today, proposed by Northern Ireland peer Baroness O’Loan, received the support of anti-abortion campaign group Both Lives Matter as well as the DUP, the Ulster Unionist Party and the Traditional Unionist Voice. At the start of proceedings, there was a bid by anti-abortion MLAs to fast-track a piece of private members’ legislation to thwart the abortion reform.
“We will not participate in this stunt any longer and we will not be providing cross-community support for the election of a speaker, thank you,” he said.“The Assembly cannot do any business until a speaker and deputy speakers are elected,” he said.DUP MLA Paul Girvan argued that advice from Attorney General John Larkin indicated that standing orders could be suspended to allow the legislation to be considered.
Ireland Latest News, Ireland Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Source: IrishMirror - 🏆 4. / 98 Read more »
Source: rtenews - 🏆 1. / 99 Read more »