'Rafter of Tory turkeys voting for Christmas' Sinn Féin MLA brands Brexit bill vote

He used the colourful metaphor when the Assembly was recalled on Wednesday to discuss the Trade and Cooperation Agreement and the north's imminent break with the European Union.

"The Member opposite talked about looking at the negative and at the doom and gloom. Surely he read the British Government's own analysis right at the start when they identified that, given that this was the first time that a nation had entered trade negotiations to take themselves out of a trading arrangement, there would inevitably be additional costs, including non-trade, non-tariff costs.

"As part of my research for this debate, I serendipitously came across the fact that the collective noun for turkeys is a rafter. At present in Westminster, we are seeing a rafter of Tory turkeys voting for Christmas at Christmas time and cheered to the rafters by the DUP all the way," he said.