Northern Ireland’s First Minister Michelle O’Neill has been blocked by the DUP from attending a UK economic forum event in Glasgow tomorrow, both parties have confirmed.
The DUP party officers were meeting this morning to discuss the fallout from the Drumcree standoff and potential sanctions on Sinn Féin over the attendance of politicians at an unlawful protest against the Drumcree parade.
In a social media post, Michelle O’Neill said the DUP had decided to deny her permission to attend the conference in Glasgow tomorrow with British Prime Minister Andy Burnham and the leaders of the other devolved administrations.
As a joint office, attendance at events requires the assent of both First and Deputy First Minister.
Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly confirmed that she had formally withdrawn agreement for attendance at the series of engagements.
“Given the seriousness of the circumstances surrounding Michelle O’Neill’s recent reckless conduct, and the damage it has done to the operation of our joint office, I have formally withdrawn agreement for attendance at the series of engagements tomorrow,” Ms Little-Pengelly said.
“This follows on the back of stopping a separate planned engagement with the President of Ireland, Catherine Connolly.
“The concerns arising from her conduct, and the anger and hurt felt by many people across Northern Ireland, cannot simply be ignored or minimised.
“I have requested a separate meeting with the prime minister to ensure Northern Ireland’s interests, including the urgent budgetary and funding challenges facing the Executive, continue to be represented directly.”
Emma Little-Pengelly said a planned engagement with President Connolly had also been stopped
It is understood that Sinn Féin disputes the circumstance around the planned meeting with President Connolly.
There have been calls from within the DUP for “meaningful consequences” for Sinn Féin politicians who attended an unlawful protest against the Drumcree parade along Portadown’s Garvaghy Road.
A judge yesterday upheld a ban by the British Secretary of State for Northern Ireland that ended the 12-day stand-off.
Ms O’Neill described the DUP’s blocking of her attendance at the event as a “reactive stunt” which had more to do with internal DUP pressures.
She said the DUP’s “reckless and irresponsible” action would deny the people of Northern Ireland representation at the economic event.
“It’s for the people to decide who represents as First Minister. Not the DUP.”
She said she has contacted the Northern Secretary Chris Bryant and made her position “absolutely clear”.
The deputy First Minister has decided to block representation from here at major political event, which would include meeting with the First Ministers of Scotland and Wales, and the British Prime Minister. It is for the people to decide who represents them as First Minister. Not the DUP.
— Michelle O’Neill (@moneillsf) October 29, 2026
Alliance Party leader Naomi Long criticised the DUP for blocking Ms O’Neill’s attendance.
“That we won’t be represented at a major UK conference to support NI because of the DUP’s internal wranglings is not only disgraceful, but self-defeating, self-harming and short-sighted,” she said in a social media post.
Meanwhile, two Sinn Fein TDs have attended police interviews in Belfast today linked to their participation in the Drumcree standoff.
Pearse Doherty and Matt Carthy said they had attended voluntarily to answer questions about their involvement.
“We will ensure at every opportunity that the progress that we have seen, that has been built, that has been maintained, is protected, and we will be giving the message today and every day that there will be no going back, that we will not be dragged back to the past,” Mr Carthy said.
Mr Doherty said: “The days of treating nationalist communities as second-class citizens are over.
“Sinn Féin is determined that we will not be dragged backward by anybody.
“We believe that it is right to have taken this stand and supported the peace process, supported the progress that we have seen.
“We defend the progress that we’ve seen over the last number of years.”
Ms O’Neill, who last week attended a police station for interview, has defended her presence at the protest on the Garvaghy Road in Portadown as the “right thing to do”.
The protest was staged as part of efforts to prevent a contentious Orange Order parade proceeding down the predominantly nationalist road from nearby Drumcree Church.
Matt Carthy and Pearse Doherty voluntarily attended police interviews
Upper Bann MP Carla Lockhart has been the most vocal voice within the DUP calling on the leadership to withdraw deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly from the Stormont Executive – a move that would automatically force Ms O’Neill from her post due to the joint nature of the powersharing structures in Northern Ireland.
Such a step would effectively collapse the devolved administration in Belfast as the Executive could no longer meet to make significant decisions.
Individual departmental ministers would, however, remain in post for up to six months and the Northern Ireland Assembly could continue to sit.
DUP leader Gavin Robinson has so far resisted pressure to pull Ms Little-Pengelly out, arguing that imploding the Executive would damage unionism.
Ms Lockhart resigned as a party officer last week over the difference of opinion with the leadership.
Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Bryant banned the Orange Order parade down the Garvaghy Road
Others within the party have suggested action short of withdrawing the deputy First Minister, such as ending Ms Little-Pengelly’s participation in further joint engagements with Ms O’Neill.
The furore is playing out amid the customary political manoeuvring that takes place at Stormont ahead of an Assembly election. The next poll is currently due to be held in May.
A decision by the Parades Commission adjudication body to allow the Orange Order to parade down the Garvaghy Road for the first time in almost 30 years prompted a two-week standoff at the site of what was a notorious parading flashpoint during the Troubles.
The parade was ultimately unable to take place because of significant numbers of protesters on the Garvaghy Road, leading Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Bryant to overturn the commission’s decision and ban the procession. His decision was upheld by a High Court judge yesterday.
Under parading laws in Northern Ireland, protests must be notified to, and approved by, the Parades Commission.
Police investigating the unnotified Garvaghy Road protest, which was staged on the day the Drumcree parade was meant to proceed on 27 September, have said invitations to attend interviews were sent to individuals “reasonably suspected of committing offences”.
Additional reporting PA