Stormont collapse: Power-sharing talks to reconvene

Talks to restore power-sharing in Northern Ireland are set to resume amid uncertainty about an anticipated DUP-Conservative parliamentary deal.

Talks aimed at restoring the executive were previously put on hold due to the UK general election.

The deadline for an agreement to be reached has been extended to 29 June.

Speaking ahead of the talks, Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams said no deal between the Conservatives and the DUP would be good for Northern Ireland.

Devolved government in Northern Ireland broke down in Janu

• Further discussions over DUP-Tory deal
• New Stormont talks deadline - 29 June
• Parties' red lines in Stormont talks

 

ary and there has been political deadlock following a snap assembly election in March.

Stormont leaders are expected to meet Secretary of State James Brokenshire and the Irish minister for foreign affairs later on Monday.

If no executive is formed, Mr Brokenshire has warned Northern Ireland may face direct rule.

The secretary of state said he would continue to chair the talks, despite calls for an "independent broker".

"The point is that we have a process already, which involves, yes the UK government, but the Irish government too and also the head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service," he said.

"That is something that was working to bring the parties together, I think that remains absolutely the way to approach this."

He said if there was no agreement by 29 June, Northern Ireland could face direct rule.

Mr Adams said Sinn Féin did not believe that "any deal between the DUP here and the English Tories will be good for the people here".

"Any deal that undercuts, in any way, the process here or the Good Friday Agreement and other agreements is one that has to be opposed by progressives, and that puts a huge onus on the taoiseach, and there's an incoming taoiseach [Leo Varadkar]," he said.

"I think [outgoing] Taoiseach [Enda] Kenny was right when he expressed concerns about this deal directly with the British prime minister."

Earlier, Sinn Féin's Conor Murphy said it "would be kind to describe Mr Brokenshire as delusional".

"His government won't exist unless the DUP allow it to exist and the fact that they will be dependent on them conflicts him even more."

Leo Varadkar, the new leader of Ireland's Fine Gael party, has said he will raise with Theresa May the importance of impartiality in the Stormont talks.

He said it was important that the two governments, as co-guarantors of the Good Friday Agreement, should not be too close to either unionism, or nationalists and republicans.

Mr Varadkar is expected to become Irish prime minister later this week in a parliamentary vote on Enda Kenny's successor.

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Analysis - Enda McClafferty, BBC News NI Political Correspondent

All the parties will be back at Stormont today, but it is likely that the focus will be on political partnerships in London and not Belfast.

The DUP is up for supporting a Conservative Government but only if its demands are met.

That support will involve backing Theresa May in any confidence vote and supporting her government's budgets.

As yet there are no details on what the DUP wants in return but it is thought its demands will include extra cash for Northern Ireland.

But some say the real cost of a deal could be the future of power-sharing in Northern Ireland.

Sinn Féin, the SDLP and Alliance say any partnership between the DUP and Conservatives could scupper plans to restore the institutions.

It is fast becoming a game of political poker with high stakes.

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The Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Charlie Flanagan, said he was "looking forward to the talks process getting under way again".

"It is now more important than ever that we have effective devolved government in Northern Ireland, especially with Brexit negotiations due to begin shortly," he said.

"It is absolutely crucial that the voice of Northern Ireland should be heard in these negotiations through a newly-formed power sharing executive."

Meanwhile, DUP leader Arlene Foster is due to meet the prime minister on Tuesday to discuss the formation of a DUP-supported Conservative government at Westminster.

The SDLP and Alliance Party have echoed Sinn Féin's concerns that such a partnership could make power-sharing at Stormont more difficult.

The former Labour secretary of state for Northern Ireland, Peter Hain, told BBC Radio Ulster's Good Morning Ulster a DUP-Conservative arrangement could have a negative impact on the talks.

"My concern is that it jeopardises the neutrality, the non-partisan stance, that a prime minister and a secretary of state must have in relation to Northern Ireland's politics," he said.

"If I, as secretary of state, or for that matter Tony Blair, were seen to be aligned with any one party in Northern Ireland, it would have compromised the trust we needed to build with any other party."

Under Northern Ireland's power-sharing agreement, the executive must be jointly run by unionists and nationalists, with the largest party putting forward a candidate for first minister.

Sinn Féin's Martin McGuinness quit as deputy first minister in January in protest against the DUP's handling of a botched green energy scheme.

The party said it would not share power with DUP leader Arlene Foster as first minister until the conclusion of a public inquiry into the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) scheme.

Mr McGuinness, who had been suffering from a rare heart condition, died earlier this year.

 

BBC NEWS

UK election result 'may delay Brexit talks'

The UK general election result could delay Brexit talks and be negative for the economy, credit ratings agencies Moody's and S&P have warned.

The Brexit negotiations with the EU were due to start on 19 June but Moody's said the fact that the Conservatives had lost their majority would delay the start of the talks.

It will "complicate and probably delay Brexit negotiations," it warned.

Moody's said it could also further pressure the UK's public finances.

The "inconclusive" outcome of the general election could mean the government places less of a priority on cutting the budget deficit. This would be negative for the UK's credit rating and make it more expensive for the country to borrow money.

As a result, Moody's said it expected fiscal risks to increase, because in its view the budget deficit will increase this year and next.

"The election outcome, with significant gains for the Labour Party, which had campaigned for increased public spending, will likely be seen as a 'vote against austerity', it added.

"The public debt ratio will rise further and for longer than we had expected, placing the UK among the few highly rated European sovereigns whose public debt is still rising."

However, Moody's said the election result suggested an "electoral shift" away from the "hard Brexit" that Prime Minister Theresa May, had ostensibly sought.

As a result, Moody's said the government may now consider "softer" Brexit options, which would be positive for the country's credit rating, it said.

"Hence, a move towards "softer" versions of Brexit - potentially with continued access of some sort to the single market - might now be considered," it said.

'Another snap election'

Meanwhile, S&P Global Ratings released a note saying the outcome of the snap election and the hung parliament should have no immediate impact on the UK's rating.

"Our ratings on the UK already take into account a less predictable policy framework following the vote to leave the EU in June 2016," it said.

It also said it believed the lack of an overall majority for any one part was likely to delay Brexit negotiations.

"Furthermore, we do not exclude the possibility of another snap election," it added.

Separately, S&P economist Jean-Michel Six said "In terms of the [UK's} outlook for growth, it's clear that things are not going in the right direction."

"This latest bit of instability can only weaken the business environment and consumer confidence, " he said.

Standard and Poor's (S&P) said the UK credit outlook remained negative.

Moody's rates the UK credit worthiness as Aa1 negative, one notch above the other two main ratings agencies, including S&P. 

BBC NEWS

Campaigners challenge Forth and Tay wind farm plans

Campaigners have appealed against a ruling which gave the go-ahead for four controversial wind farm projects in the firths of Forth and Tay.

RSPB Scotland had objected to the developments which, they say, threaten thousands of seabirds.

After winning the initial challenge, an appeal was lodged by Scottish ministers and the ruling was overturned last month.

The charity has confirmed it has started a legal challenge.

It is seeking permission from the Inner House of the Court of Session to appeal to the UK Supreme Court.

The Scottish government has declined to comment on the legal action, but stressed its belief in the importance of offshore wind projects.

Image copyright PA

 

 After last month's ruling, one of the developers, Mainstream Renewable Power, said it would immediately press on with construction work.
The company estimates its project alone would create 500 construction jobs and more than 100 permanent operational roles.
The Inch Cape, Neart na Gaoithe and Seagreen Alpha and Bravo projects were approved by Scottish ministers in 2014.
It has been estimated that they could generate up to £1.2bn for the Scottish economy and power 1.4 million homes.
But RSPB Scotland raised concerns that the wind farms risked birds like puffins, gannets and kittiwakes.

'Worrying precedents'

Director Anne McCall said: "RSPB Scotland continues to fully support the development of renewable energy and the vast majority of projects continue to pose no significant threat to birds or other wildlife.
"However, we are concerned that this judgment could set worrying precedents for the protection of wildlife across Scotland and the UK.
"In light of our concerns we have decided to start the appeal process by applying to the Inner House for permission to appeal to the Supreme Court."
A statement from Mainstream Renewable Power said: "We are committed to working with all our partners, including the RSPB, to deliver this nationally-significant infrastructure project and the vitally important jobs and investment that it will create.
"Neart na Gaoithe is a £2bn project capable of supplying all the homes in a city the size of Edinburgh with clean energy and is the only project out of the four offshore wind projects in the Forth and Tay to hold a Contract for Difference (CfD)."

Climate change

It added: "Rapid advances in offshore wind technology have enabled us to reduce the number of turbines to be installed from 125 in the original consent application in 2012, to a maximum of 64 turbines today."
A Scottish government spokesman said: "Protecting the environment and fighting climate change are key priorities for the Scottish government.
"Offshore wind has an important role to play in Scotland's energy future, and offers valuable opportunities to reduce the carbon emissions which lead to climate change and create jobs too.

BBC NEWS

Manchester Victoria tram death: Murder arrest over 'push'

A woman has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a man was "pushed into a moving tram" and died at Manchester's Victoria station.

The man, believed to be in his 30s, was pushed, causing him to fall between the platform and tram, Greater Manchester Police said.

A Metrolink driver reported a collision at about 19:45 BST on Sunday, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) said.

A 31-year-old woman is being questioned in police custody.

The woman arrested was not the tram driver, police confirmed.

Metrolink customer director Stephen Rhodes said he was "absolutely devastated" to hear someone had died.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said the man died at the scene.

There was disruption to services on the Bury line for several hours affecting those attending Parklife festival.

Image copyright TWITTER

 

 Metrolink issued a walking map to help those travelling from the festival at Heaton Park return to the city centre.
Parklife finished at 23:00 on Sunday. The three-mile walk should take about an hour.
Some people questioned the advice on Twitter, suggesting telling young people to walk the distance in Wellington boots in the dark was "unbelievable".
Others said they thought there would be safety in numbers

 

 Metrolink tweeted there was an "ongoing medical emergency" and advised passengers to avoid Manchester Victoria station.
In a statement, Mr Rhodes, added: "My immediate thoughts are with this person's family and friends.
"As this is now a police investigation it would not be appropriate for me to make any further comment about what happened at this time."
He encouraged those who were able to walk to do so and said 100 buses were also in place, adding: "I'd ask everyone to please bear with us and be patient."
Metrolink said "a good service" was in operation on all lines on Monday and trams were operating in and out of Victoria.

BBC NEWS 

Putin critic Alexei Navalny held as thousands attend Russia protests

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been detained at home ahead of a planned unauthorised protest in Moscow, his wife says.

"Alexei has been arrested in the entrance to our block of flats," Yuliya Navalnaya wrote on Twitter, adding "our plans haven't changed".

Thousands of his supporters have heeded his call to protest against corruption.

OVD-Info, an NGO, says 121 people have been detained in Moscow and 137 in St Petersburg.

St Petersburg news website Fontanka.ru put the number of detainees there at 300.

There were smaller rallies in other Russian cities.

In a live broadcast by the Russian liberal TV channel Dozhd, protesters in St Petersburg could be heard shouting "shame" as they were detained by police. Among those arrested was Maxim Reznik, the city's legislative assembly deputy.

Prominent activist Daniil Ken said he was arrested as he left his home in St Petersburg. He urged people to join a rally at the city's Champ de Mars square. "Go for me, please!" he tweeted. He has since been released.

Police earlier detained several people at demonstrations in the cities of Vladivostok, Blagoveshchensk and Kazan.

Mr Navalny, who intends to stand for the Russian presidency next year, had been due to attend the unauthorised rally in central Moscow on Monday. 

He was earlier granted permission to hold a rally at Sakharova Avenue but changed the location - without permission - on the eve of the demonstration to Tverskaya Street, near the Kremlin.

One of the groups participating in the Moscow rally, which is over government plans to demolish Soviet-era apartment blocks in the city, said it would hold its protest on Sakharova Avenue as planned.

• Russia's vociferous opposition leader
• Why Navalny rattles the Kremlin

Permission has been granted for demonstrations in 169 locations across the country, some of which will be broadcast live on the Navalny Live YouTube channel. The main rallies are expected to be in St Petersburg and Moscow.

The protests coincide with a series of official events - including festivals, concerts and military enactments - due to take place across the country to mark Russia Day, the national holiday dedicated to the 1990 declaration of sovereignty.

The BBC's Moscow correspondent, Steve Rosenberg, earlier shared images on Twitter of an historical military reconstruction in Tverskaya Street, the location of Mr Navalny's unauthorised demonstration.

 BBC NEWS

'Facebook blasphemer' given death penalty

A man accused of posting blasphemous content to Facebook has been sentenced to death by a court in Pakistan.

Taimoor Raza was convicted after allegedly posting remarks about the Prophet Muhammad, his wives and companions within the site's comments.

The public prosecutor involved said he believed it was the first time the death penalty had been awarded in a case related to social media.

Human rights campaigners have expressed concern.

Facebook itself has yet to comment on the case.

The US firm previously announced in March that it was deploying a team to Pakistan to address the government's concerns about blasphemous content on its service, but added that it still wished to protect "the privacy and rights" of its members.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has described blasphemy as being an "unpardonable offence".

Religious debate

Raza's case was heard by an anti-terrorism court in Bahawalpur - about 309 miles (498km) from the capital Islamabad.

His defence lawyer said the 30-year-old had become involved in an argument about Islam on the social network with someone who had turned out to be a counter-terrorism official.

The public prosecutor said the accused had been arrested after playing hate speech and blasphemous material from his phone at a bus stop, following which his handset had been confiscated and analysed.

Raza will be able to appeal against the death penalty at Lahore High Court and then, if required, in Pakistan's Supreme Court.

The Express Tribune, a local newspaper, reported that the verdict came days after a college professor was refused bail in another case involving accusations of blasphemy on social media in Pakistan.

Amnesty International recently published a report critical of Pakistan's blasphemy laws.

"[They] enable abuse and violate the country's international legal obligations to respect and protect a range of human rights, including freedom of religion or belief and of opinion and expression," it said.

"Once someone is charged, they can be denied bail and face lengthy and unfair trials."

The developments come seven years after a Pakistan court temporarily blocked local access to Facebook after the social network was used to promote a contest to draw images of Prophet Muhammad - an act considered to be offensive by many Muslims.

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Analysis - Tahir Imran, BBC Urdu social media editor

This is a dramatic time for Pakistani social media. Once considered a platform where people could express themselves freely, it is now a place where people worry about the consequences of commenting.

Instead of acting to restore confidence and safeguarding the masses' right to freedom of expression, the government has been busy making threats through TV and newspaper adverts.

This is happening with a clear understanding about the gravity that accusations of blasphemy can have. There have been several incidents of vigilantes taking the law into their own hands after such claims.

Human rights activists accuse the government of pushing through a controversial cyber-crimes law without addressing their concerns.

In a country where fewer people have been convicted of blasphemy than have been killed after being accused of the offence, this ruling will not calm nerves. And increasingly people prefer to use chat apps and closed groups to post content so that their thoughts cannot be seen by the wider public.

BBC NEWS

Queen's Speech delayed as DUP talks continue

The Queen's Speech - in which the government sets out its legislative programme - has been delayed for a few days, the BBC understands.

The set-piece event had been due to take place on Monday 19 June.

The Conservatives are negotiating with the Democratic Unionist Party to get support for their minority government.

Brexit Secretary David Davis predicted some parts of the Tory manifesto would now have to be "pruned" after the Tories lost their Commons majority.

• BBC Election Live - rolling text and video updates
• Why Queen's Speech is a big test for May
• Fallon defends DUP government 'deal'

The Queen's Speech is written by the government and presents an outline of its planned legislation for the next Parliamentary session.

BBC assistant political editor Norman Smith said the decision to delay it revealed an "ambiguity" about what would go in it - with several manifesto pledges expected to be watered down or dropped - but also the need for the Tories to "nail down" DUP support.

A defeat for its Queen's Speech would be tantamount to a vote of no confidence in the new minority government, he said.

One of the reasons for the delay is also believed to be because the speech has to be written on goat's skin parchment paper, which takes a few days to dry - and the Tory negotiations with the DUP mean it cannot be ready in time.

Theresa May will face questions later from her backbenchers for the first time since Thursday's election.

They are expected to raise concerns about her leadership style, and press for more details on talks with the DUP.

Mrs May's new cabinet will also meet for the first time after a reshuffle.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Mr Davis said that while the Tory election campaign had been disappointing, Mrs May was a "formidable prime minister" and accused people speculating about her leadership of "the absolute height of self-indulgence".

But Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has accused Mrs May of "squatting" in No 10, telling the BBC's Andrew Marr Show on Sunday that the country "cannot go on with a period of great instability".

The PM finalised her cabinet with a small reshuffle, with Michael Gove returning to a ministerial role as environment secretary.

Mr Gove, who took on Mrs May for the party leadership after David Cameron quit, was sacked by the PM in her reshuffle in July last year.

The Conservatives went from 331 seats to 318 in the general election, while Labour increased its number of MPs from 232 to 262.

BBC political correspondent Iain Watson said the meeting with the committee had been brought forward by 24 hours, not because of panic within the party, but possibly as a way of avoiding it.

One MP told him: "The wise heads will need to tell any hotheads to calm down."

The 1922 Committee is made up of all Conservative backbenchers - the name is taken from the year in which its original members were elected.

Its primary function is to keep the leadership of the party informed of the mood among the rank and file, and if a Conservative leader or other senior figure loses its support they could be in a particularly vulnerable position.

Graham Brady, chairman of the committee, told BBC One's Sunday Politics there was "zero appetite" among the public for another election.

A number of high-profile members kept their posts in Sunday's cabinet reshuffle, with Philip Hammond staying at the Treasury, Boris Johnson remaining at the Foreign Office and Amber Rudd keeping the Home Office brief.

But some changed jobs too, with Liz Truss being demoted from justice secretary to become chief secretary to the Treasury.

Damian Green, who was work and pensions secretary, has been promoted to become the first secretary of state - effectively Mrs May's second in command.

'Diminished authority'

 

 

Analysis by BBC political correspondent Iain Watson

Widespread demands for Mrs May to go are not expected at Monday's 1922 Committee meeting.

Instead, there will be demands for her to consult more, including meeting regularly with the 1922 executive, and to turn Downing Street from a bunker into an open house by broadening her range of staff.

However, few MPs expect her position to be strong and stable for the next five years.

One senior backbencher told me: "It is inconceivable she will lead the party into the next election. Her authority has been diminished unquestionably."

Another said: "Party members have been too bruised by her."

"She has bought herself some time", said another senior backbencher, but added: "How she behaves will determine how long she's there."

There is a feeling that the party is holding on to nurse for fear of something worse.

Read more from Iain Watson here.

Johnson: MPs should get a grip

After speculation in the Sunday newspapers that he was mounting a leadership challenge, Mr Johnson has called for Tory MPs to back Mrs May.

Writing in Monday's Sun, the foreign secretary said those calling for the PM to step down should "get a grip", adding the electorate wanted the government to "get on with the job".

Mr Johnson admitted the prime minister's election campaign did not go well - "to put it mildly" - and that Tory messages "got lost or misunderstood".

But he added: "Theresa May led a campaign that inspired 13.7m people to vote Conservative, in the biggest total tally of Tory votes since the days of Margaret Thatcher.

"That is a stunning achievement, for which she deserves the support of her party. And she will certainly get it from me."

• Who are the DUP?
• How will this minority government actually work?

He also said the proposal of a deal with the DUP to keep her minority government in power was "feasible".

"The people of Britain have had a bellyful of promises and politicking," he wrote.

"Now is the time for delivery - and Theresa May is the right person to continue that vital work."

Michael Gove's 'surprise'

The return of Mr Gove to the front bench as environment secretary has been a shock to some, including the politician himself.

Speaking to Sky News on Sunday, he said he had been "quite surprised" to be asked to rejoin the cabinet.

He added: "Of course I knew that today was reshuffle day, but I genuinely didn't expect this role - although I am delighted to be part of the government, and delighted to be able to support Theresa."

However, the BBC's environment analyst Roger Harrabin says green campaigners are appalled at Mr Gove's appointment, pointing to his time as education secretary, when he tried to remove climate change from the geography curriculum, and as chief whip, when he blocked the then environment secretary from important international talks.

Tom Burke, from green think tank E3G, told BBC News: "The environment is something young voters really care about.

"If the Tories really want to reconnect with the youth surge, this is about the worst option they could have chosen."

But others have welcomed the new minister.

One senior farming industry source said they were happy that a "big hitter" was taking the top job at the Department for Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra).

"Defra has long been a backwater, so at last it's not someone in charge who is being put out to grass," he said. 

BBC NEWS