Sinn Féin rejects moves to resume Stormont talks

Hopes that negotiations aimed at restoring government in the North would resume this week have faded after Sinn Féin said there was “no basis” for the talks process to start up again.

British Secretary of State James Brokenshire held bilateral meetings with the DUP and Sinn Féin on Monday after British prime minister Theresa May last week called for a fifth phase of talks since last January to begin this week.

Following Mr Brokenshire’s meeting with Sinn Féin, the party’s Northern leader Michelle O’Neill said there was “no basis for resuming talks at the moment”.

Ms O’Neill has repeatedly said any talks process – to deal with issues around the Irish language, marriage equality and the legacy of the past – needed to be “meaningful”. She said that in the absence of a deal with the DUP, the onus was on the British and Irish governments to spell out how they intended to ensure implementation of previous agreements.

DUP MLA Simon Hamilton suggested Sinn Féin seemed to have “checked out” of politics in the North and warned that Northern voters needed a government up and running to deal with issues in health, housing, education and the economy.

“One would be forgiven for coming to the conclusion that Sinn Féin have ‘checked out’ of politics in Northern Ireland and are now only interested in the politics of the Irish Republic,” he said. “Once again, Sinn Féin use the excuse of previous agreements not being honoured. An excuse which, time and again, has been proven to hold no water. We remain ready to re-engage in talks but Northern Ireland cannot go on indefinitely without ministers to take important decisions.”