DUP rejects blame for Stormont committee impasse

The Democratic Unionist Party has rejected the blame for the failure to agree a chairperson for the Stormont committee set up to discuss restoring devolution.

The North’s political parties have been discussing the matter for the past three days, but have failed to come up with an agreed candidate for the post.

A number of proposals have been put forward whereby the chair would rotate between the various parties or between Sinn Féin and the DUP.

However, the unionist party has rejected all of these suggestions, saying it will not accept any system that sees republicans involved in chairing the body.

Sinn Féin, the SDLP and the Ulster Unionists have all blamed the DUP for the impasse, but the party itself is rejecting this, with spokesman Willie McCrea claiming republicans are to blame for the deadlock.

He said last night that Sinn Féin did not want an independent chair for the committee because it was determined to prevent the body from discussing issues such as IRA criminality and decommissioning.