Idea of £6.5m Christmas poll costly enough to pay for hundreds of nurses ‘sickening’

The Foyle MP made the comments after the Secretary of State Chris Heaton-Harris claimed he will call a snap Assembly poll next Thursday, October 28, if an Executive is not formed by that date.

The DUP has said it will not participate in a power-sharing government until the Irish Protocol section of the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement the British government signed with the European Union is revised.

“The fact that another election would cost the guts of £6.5m at the taxpayer's expense when the poverty rate in Derry and Strabane is sitting at 22%, the highest in the North, is sickening for people who can't get support from Stormont to heat their homes and feed their kids.

“There has already been an election this year, and the people have decided that the DUP should nominate a deputy First Minister. It is the DUP who are holding back from doing their jobs at Stormont when people are crying out for help with their heating and energy bills,” said Mr. Eastwood.

This was echoed by Sinn Féin MLA Ciara Ferguson, who said: “There is no need for an election. The people voted for change in the Assembly election in May, they voted for parties to work together to tackle the unprecedented challenges facing workers, families and businesses.

Chief Electoral Officer Virginia McVea wrote to the main political parties stating that her office was working towards a potential Assembly election on December 15.

Ms. McVea has indicated that the cost of holding another election seven months after the last Stormont poll in May was likely cost in the region of £6.5m.

Mr. Eastwood said: “Jeffrey Donaldson and his party are solely to blame for the possibility of another election. It is high time that they stopped pretending that their actions in holding the Northern Ireland Assembly to ransom would affect the Protocol negotiations between Europe and The British government. The DUP must get on with their jobs.”

Ms. Ferguson said: “The democratic outcome of the election should be respected.

“The DUP are blocking an Assembly and Executive because they are refusing to respect the will of the people.”