Sinn Féin First Minister Designate Michelle O’Neill said today that a new British Prime Minister needs to work immediately to restore the north’s political institutions, honour international agreements and bring an end to threats to break international law.

Responding after the resignation of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson as leader of the Tory Party today, Michelle O’Neill said:

“It has been utterly absurd that people here were subjected to Boris Johnson for any length of time. He has no mandate in Ireland and is a figure of absolute disrepute. 

“He has tried to sabotage our peace agreements, a quarter century of progress and our shared future and is truly no friend of the people of the north.

“He has failed workers and their families struggling with the cost of living.

“He has failed victims of the conflict and their families.

“He delivered the hardest Brexit possible against the wishes of the majority of our people, our political representatives and our businesses and he has torn up international agreements and shown contempt for international law. 

“And he has attacked the Good Friday Agreement, backing the boycott of our democratic institutions to placate Tory Brexiteers and the DUP in a desperate attempt to hold on to power.

“This has prevented ministers who have a mandate from local people from tackling the cost-of-living crisis and investing an additional one billion pounds to help fix our health service.

“The current Tory chaos at Westminster is a daily reminder of the complete ineptitude and arrogance of this British government.

“The people of the north deserve better than this, only two months ago the majority of the electorate voted in the Assembly elections for real change.

“There is an onus on a new British Prime Minister and British government to begin work immediately to restore the Assembly, the Executive and the North South bodies, to respect the democratic wishes of the people, to honour international agreements and end the threats to break international law.”