DUP refuses to rush devolution after Belfast talks with Gordon Brown
First minister Peter Robinson says transfer of policing and justice powers to Stormont unlikely before Christmas
Unionists will not be rushed into agreeing to the transfer of policing and justice powers to Northern Ireland despite Gordon Brown’s talks with the Stormont parties today.
The first minister, Peter Robinson, and his Democratic Unionist party assembly members held discussions with the prime minister at lunchtime. But Robinson held out no prospect of a breakthrough following the talks convened by the prime minister.
Speaking after his party’s meeting with Gordon Brown, the first minister said: “We are relaxed, we are going to stay focused on the issues, we are not going to rush and make a dash for the post, we will make sure things are right on policing and justice.”
Later the prime minister will hold joint discussions with Robinson and the deputy first minister, Martin McGuinness, of Sinn Féin. The DUP and Sinn Féin assembly members have been involved in rancorous exchanges over the issue of policing and justice coming under Stormont’s control.
McGuinness claims the DUP is running scared of the hardline Traditional Unionist Voice party and is dragging its feet over moves towards transferring justice and policing powers to Belfast. Robinson described McGuinness’s recent comments on the DUP’s attitude to devolving those powers as a “nasty one-sided attack”.
The DUP leader predicted that the final act of devolution would not be possible until after Christmas. The first minister said he would not agree to the transfer until the Northern Ireland executive gets the full budget for running the police and the judicial system.
During his visit Brown will also be briefed by the Police Service of Northern Ireland chief constable, Matt Baggott, on the security situation, particularly the threat posed by republican dissidents.
There are fears that the increasingly bitter row between the two largest parties could bring down the power-sharing executive.
