Democratic Unionists told to combine legal actions

Hardline unionists were today blocked from mounting a separate legal challenge against Northern Ireland First Minister David Trimble.

A High Court judge told Democratic Unionists Peter Robinson and Nigel Dodds that they should incorporate their action into a separate legal move against Northern Ireland Secretary John Reid’s decision to delay new Stormont elections.

Mr Justice Kerr was hearing an application from the two Democratic Unionist ministers to secure an injunction against Mr Trimble and new Deputy First Minister Mark Durkan.

Adjourning his decision on the validity of the case, he said: ‘‘I’m quite satisfied that it’s unnecessary that there be two applications in the present case.’’

Mr Robinson, the regional development minister in the power-sharing executive, and Mr Dodds, the social development minister, have been granted leave for a judicial review of Dr Reid’s decision to postpone elections until May 2003.

The anti-Good Friday Agreement MLAs claim that the Northern Ireland Secretary acted unlawfully by not calling new polls after a deadline passed for reinstating a First Minister and Deputy First Minister to the Stormont regime.

Mr Trimble and Mr Durkan were only installed after centre-ground parties re-designated as unionists to secure their election.

But in the High Court today lawyers for the DUP ministers were told that the bid to restrain Mr Trimble and Mr Durkan from acting should form a ‘‘central position’’ in their earlier action rather than go forward as a separate legal challenge.

Mr Justice Kerr said he would rule on it once the appropriate amendments had been made.