Ulster Unionist Party Chairman Lord Empey, has stated that it is beholden upon the leadership of the DUP and Sinn Fein to explain the details of their ‘accommodation.’
Lord Empey said:
“It is now very clear that the Northern Ireland public, and even some elected representatives from their respective parties, have been kept in the dark by the leadership of the DUP and Sinn Fein about the accommodation which they reached. Their accommodation deserves explanation.
“Many sources confirm that a deal was indeed agreed by the respective negotiating teams but then it fell apart when they couldn`t sell it to their people. Both Arlene Foster and Michelle O`Neill need to be transparent about what they did agree and what they tried to sell to their parties. There has been too much secrecy and paranoia around this shambolic process. This is their opportunity to put the record straight.
“Arlene Foster and her negotiating team need to state clearly what they had agreed with Sinn Fein, which they then couldn’t sell to their own party.
'Finally, I was shocked to hear the DUP say that the arrival of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom into Belfast on Monday was 'a distraction.' Has the DUP lost the plot all together? How can any unionist say such a thing about our own PM, especially one that they have a written agreement with?
“It’s worthy of note that they didn't say that the arrival of the Sinn Fein President from Dublin was a distraction!”