Ritchie stands firm on threat to withhold UDA funding

The North's Social Development Minister is standing firm on her vow to withholding British Government funding from the UDA if it does not begin disarming from next week.

Margaret Ritchie has given the loyalist paramilitary group until next Tuesday to end criminality and begin decommissioning.

If it doesn't do so, she says she will block more than £1m (€1.49m) in funding that has been promised by the British Government to retrain UDA members as community workers.

So far, the UDA has given no indication that it plans to heed her warning and has instead become embroiled in a feud with a breakaway faction in south-east Antrim.

Ms Ritchie, however, is adamant that she will carry out her threat if things do not change by Tuesday.