The Northern Ireland Assembly was adjourned yesterday to shouts of "Disgrace" from anti-agreement unionists after the Speaker, Lord Alderdice, declared that a DUP motion to exclude Sinn Fein from the Executive did not have the necessary support to permit a debate. The North's Minister for Regional Development, Mr Peter Robinson (DUP, East Belfast), called on Lord Alderdice to allow supporters of the motion to stand in their places.
"It would be totally inconsistent for the Ulster Unionist Party not to stand in favour of this, and I think if given the opportunity at least one of them would be prepared to stand by their election manifesto and by what they have said over the last few days," said Mr Robinson.
However, the Speaker said there was no indication that 30 members supported the motion as only 29 signatures had been submitted by the DUP, and the sitting, which could be the last before the reintroduction of direct rule from Westminster, was adjourned after 15 minutes.
Mr Robinson accused Lord Alderdice of inconsistency as he had previously allowed support to be demonstrated by members rising in their seats, but the Speaker said this had occurred "pre-devolution".
The Minister for Social Development, Mr Nigel Dodds (DUP, North Belfast), rushed to the Speaker's bench after the ruling to protest at the decision.
After the sitting the DUP continued to protest against the ruling at a news conference. The party leader, the Rev Ian Paisley, along with Mr Robinson and Mr Dodds claimed that one Ulster Unionist member had risen to his feet during the confrontation over the motion but was not given an opportunity to speak.
They criticised UUP members for refusing to stand in support of the motion when lobbied by the DUP.
"What a terrible thing in this hour of Ulster's crisis that the Assembly set up to deal with these matters is not allowed to have a debate," said Dr Paisley.
Mr Robinson accused the Ulster Unionists of "posturing" over the decommissioning issue.
"I think the people of Northern Ireland need to know that an opportunity was given to the Ulster Unionist Party to take a stand to do what they are saying publicly is their position, namely to exclude Sinn Fein from government, and they didn't do it," he said.
The leader of the UK Unionist party, Mr Robert McCartney (North Down), also criticised UUP members for not supporting the motion, saying they had forfeited their claim to the confidence of the pro-Union electorate.
Opening proceedings in the chamber yesterday, the First Minister and UUP leader, Mr David Trimble, demanded an apology from Mr Dodds for remarks made in the Assembly on Monday that he had encouraged DUP Ministers to break Executive confidentiality. Lord Alderdice said the dispute should remain within the Executive and was not a matter for the chamber.