Alliance party blocks Sinn Fein Lord Mayor bid

The Alliance party in the North has blocked the election of Sinn Fein's Alex Maskey as the party's first Lord Mayor of Belfast.

Mr Maskey had been depending on the Alliance party to hold the balance of power in City Hall.

But Alliance leader in City Hall, David Alderdice, said they couldn't support Sinn Fein in the absence of IRA decommissioning.

He said: "Our judgement is that Sinn Fein have not done enough to create the level of public confidence which would in turn create the right conditions for a Sinn Fein Lord Mayor at this time."