Restoring Stormont executive ‘should be priority for reappointed NI Secretary’
Downing Street has announced Chris Heaton-Harris is to keep his position as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.
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Your support makes all the difference.Restoring the Stormont executive should be the number one priority for the newly reappointed Northern Ireland Secretary, Sinn Fein has said.
As new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak reshuffled his Cabinet on Tuesday, Downing Street announced that Chris Heaton-Harris would remain in the Northern Ireland job.
Mr Heaton-Harris was first appointed to the role by Liz Truss in September, replacing Shailesh Vara.
He had initially supported Boris Johnson in his bid to return to No 10, but switched his support to Mr Sunak when the former prime minister announced he would not be running.
During his time in Northern Ireland Mr Heaton-Harris, a former chairman of the European Research Group (ERG), has repeatedly called for the restoration of the powersharing institutions at Stormont.
The Assembly and executive are currently not operating as the DUP continues to protest against the post-Brexit Northern Ireland Protocol, which has placed checks on movement of some goods moving between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.
Mr Heaton-Harris has insisted that he will call fresh Stormont elections on Friday, if the Stormont institutions are not restored before a six-month legislative deadline expires.
The Stormont Assembly has been recalled on Thursday in the latest attempt to elect a new speaker – a bid that will be blocked by the DUP.
Sinn Fein Stormont leader Michelle O’Neill said she would be meeting with Mr Heaton-Harris on Wednesday.
She tweeted: “Restoration of the Executive is the number one priority to help workers and families.
“I will be meeting the reappointed SoS @chhcalling in Belfast tomorrow.”