Ulster Unionist Party leader, Robin Swann MLA has welcomed an admission by the Secretary of State, Karen Bradley MP, that the changes made to the Belfast Agreement at St Andrews made the current political impasse more likely.
Robin Swann MLA said:
“The Ulster Unionist Party has always said that the changes made to the Belfast Agreement at St Andrews destroyed the partnership model put in place by our Party and the SDLP in 1998 and ensured that every future election in Northern Ireland would be sectarianised.
“I welcome that finally the Secretary of State has acknowledged publicly that the changes have contributed to the situation we find ourselves in. The question is, what does she intend to do about it? The solution is clear to us; we must return to the principles of the Belfast Agreement which were overwhelmingly endorsed by the public referendum in 1998.
“For too long the Northern Ireland Office has pandered to Sinn Fein and the DUP as they carved up and divided society for their own ends. If we are to bring an end to brinkmanship and inject stability back into our politics, then the Secretary of State must move to amend the Northern Ireland Act and return to what was put in place in the Belfast Agreement.”
Karen Bradley - I apologise to the hon. Member for Vauxhall (Kate Hoey). My hon. Friend raises the point that she raised. I will address both their points now. We are all concerned about the sustainability of the Executive. This issue needs to be resolved. Clearly, the changes made to the Belfast agreement in the 2007 St Andrews agreement have made the situation we have found ourselves in for the past 19 months more likely. We therefore need to look at the sustainability of the Executive. On a plan or framework for talks, I want to meet all the main parties in Northern Ireland over the next few weeks and make a decision at that stage. As I said earlier, it is important to be pragmatic. We cannot impose this decision; it has to be taken by the politicians in Northern Ireland, on behalf of the people of Northern Ireland.