Little-Pengelly says Trump boycott 'a mistake'

Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly met President Trump at Washington's Capitol Hill in March

First Minister Michelle O'Neill is making a "mistake" by boycotting a state banquet for US President Donald Trump, the deputy first minister has said.

Emma Little-Pengelly, who is set to attend the reception at Windsor Castle, said it was an opportunity for people in Northern Ireland "to have their voice heard".

O'Neill has previously defended her decision, saying she was taking a "principled stand" in response to the US role in Israel's war in Gaza.

Little-Pengelly, of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), questioned whether the Sinn Féin vice-president "staying at home" would "change a single thing".

Trump will arrive on Tuesday for an unprecedented second state visit to the UK.

Little-Pengelly told BBC News NI the US was "incredibly important" to Northern Ireland for foreign direct investment.

She said being part of the UK's delegation this week was a "good opportunity for us to make those connections".

Asked if it was a mistake for O'Neill to boycott the reception, Little-Pengelly responded: "Yes, I think it's a mistake because this is an opportunity for Northern Ireland to have their voice heard."

Last week, O'Neill said she was "very comfortable" with her decision, describing the war in Gaza as the "biggest humanitarian crisis of our time".

Little-Pengelly said "what's happening in the Middle East is absolutely tragic" and "everyone wants to see a ceasefire, everyone wants to see peace".

She said in 2024 O'Neill met the then US President Joe Biden "when he took a very similar approach to this particular president".

Michelle O'Neill and Emma Little-Pengelly met President Biden at the White House on St Patrick's Day last year

The DUP minister added: "The key question for people to ask themselves is - by Michelle O'Neill or anyone else staying at home and not attending, will that change a single thing?

"In all of my engagement I have urged all of the key parties to do their best to bring about peace in the Middle East.

"By not attending (the state visit) that will not change what is happening there.

"It is only by engaging, it's only by talking, it's only by urging that peace that you can achieve that."

Tensions at Stormont

Little-Pengelly was also asked about relations between the DUP and Sinn Féin in Northern Ireland's power-sharing government.

O'Neill and DUP leader Gavin Robinson clashed last week in a row over the Army withdrawing from a jobs fair in Londonderry.

Robinson accused O'Neill of not being a "first minister for all" over her party's stance, while O'Neill told the DUP MP to "butt out".

Little-Pengelly said there would "always be some things that we disagree on" but there were "many things across the executive where there is agreement".

The deputy first minister said she believed that both she and O'Neill had "reached out, both of us have tried to work through those responsibilities that we have".

"But at times there are things that the first minister has done which I disagree strongly with, that I do not think represents that moniker that she has given herself," she added.