Sinn Féin welcomes progress on return to power-sharing as Michelle O'Neill poised to make history

As things stand, the DUP looks set to go back into government with the other parties over the coming days with a new Executive likely to be chosen next week.

The House of Commons is expected to pass two pieces of legislation on Thursday which locks in the deal agreed by the DUP and the British government.

If power-sharing is restored, Sinn Féin vice-president Michelle O’Neill will become the first nationalist leader to hold the top post in government in the north since Partition, and will be installed as First Minister in the coming days with the DUP taking up the deputy First Minister post.

The party however has said its urgent priority is getting an Executive back up and running and working with the other parties to grapple with the “huge challenges” facing people here.

Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said she was optimistic, having heard Jeffrey Donaldson’s public declaration this week “that we will see the northern institutions back up and running before the February 8 deadline with a fully functioning Assembly and Executive and north south bodies”.

“I welcome the DUP’s commitment that it will respect the outcome of the Assembly elections and work with the other parties round the Executive table to now prioritise the huge challenges facing public services, workers and families.

“We have continued to have direct contact with both the British and Irish governments. Last autumn we urged the British government to bring an end to the endless two-way talks and called on the DUP to make the decision to return to the Executive. That has now happened, and is welcome news.”

“The Executive will now be restored imminently with ministers back at the wheel running departments.”

Mary Lou McDonald asserted that Sinn Féin will now engage with the parties and Governments “to ensure we now all press on without delay”.

“It is vital now that there is political stability to address the scale of the crisis across our public services,” she said.

“Let’s now focus minds on the job at hand and to the solutions required to support workers and families who want and deserve functioning government.”