Tory meets Sinn Féin and loyalists over peace process

Shadow Northern Ireland secretary David Lidington will hold talks today with Sinn Féin chief Martin McGuinness and a group involving loyalist paramilitaries.

The Conservative MP is expected in the North for separate briefings from the two sides on developments in the peace process.

Although Mr Lidington was unavailable fo comment, a Sinn Féin spokesman confirmed Mr McGuinness would be meeting him.

With rioting having erupted at a flashpoint Orange Order march in north Belfast last week, the spokesman said: “We will be updating him on the parading situation.

“Engagement is important to us, whether with the southern parties, America or the British.

“Maintaining support for the peace process and making people aware of what’s happening is vital.”

It is understood Mr Lidington will also hold talks with members of the Loyalist Commission, an umbrella organisation set up to defuse tensions among rival Protestant factions.

His trip comes days after a man was shot dead in north Belfast as part of a deepening feud between the Ulster Volunteer Force and splinter Loyalist Volunteer Force.

Terror bosses sit on the commission, alongside clergymen and political representatives.

A source close to the body suggested the meeting with Mr Lidington may have been arranged months earlier.