DUP: Stormont 'usual business cannot continue until IRA claims resolved'

The DUP delegation, including Nigel Dodds, spoke to reporters after their meeting with Theresa Villiers

Normal business cannot continue at Stormont until an ongoing political row over the existence of the Provisional IRA is resolved, Northern Ireland's largest party has said.

DUP deputy leader, Nigel Dodds, spoke after a meeting with Secretary of State Theresa Villiers on the IRA's status.

His comments come as part of a row over the status of the Provisional IRA after the murder of Kevin McGuigan Sr.

Mr Dodds said Ms Villiers agreed with his analysis.

'Determined'

He reiterated that the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) would move to exclude Sinn Féin from the Northern Ireland Executive and be prepared to bring down Northern Ireland's power-sharing government over claims the Provisional IRA still exists.

"We are determined that, one way or another, we will have a government in Northern Ireland consisting of people totally committed to peaceful and democratic means only," he said.

"If other parties do not step up to the plate with us, or if the government does not take sufficient action to deal with this matter, then we will bring about the circumstances to create the time and space in which this matter will be resolved.

"I'm glad that the secretary of state recognises that it cannot be business as usual."

Mr Dodds added that his party would be seeking a meeting with Prime Minister David Cameron.

Analysis: What is the background to the Stormont row?

Stormont's power-sharing government returned in 2007, headed by then Democratic Unionist Party leader Ian Paisley as first minister and Sinn Féin's Martin McGuinness as deputy first minister.

The two men had been bitter enemies for many years, but the decommissioning of IRA weapons in 2005 and Sinn Féin's endorsement of policing in Northern Ireland paved the way for Stormont's return.

In the last assessment by the Independent Monitoring Commission, an official body that monitored paramilitary activity that was wound down in 2010, it said it believed the Provisional IRA had "maintained its political course" and "would continue to do so".

With Northern Ireland's chief constable now saying the Provisional IRA still exists and some of its members were involved in the murder of Kevin McGuigan, renewed focus has been placed on the stability of the institutions at Stormont.

Earlier his party colleague, Jeffrey Donaldson, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that the DUP would move to exclude Sinn Féin from the Northern Ireland Executive.

The Northern Ireland Executive is a power-sharing government drawing ministers from the five biggest parties in the assembly.

On Wednesday, the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) said it intended to leave it.

'Premature'

The nationalist Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) and the cross-community Alliance Party also earlier met Ms Villiers.

Following their meeting, SDLP members ruled out backing a motion to exclude Sinn Féin from the executive, saying they would require more evidence of IRA involvement in the murder of Kevin McGuigan Sr.

They said while they had sympathy with the Ulster Unionists over the issue, they believed they had acted prematurely in leaving the executive.

The SDLP leader, Alasdair McDonnell, said his party would not make a "knee-jerk" decision as much more information was needed.

SDLP leader Alasdair McDonnell said his party will not make a "knee-jerk" decision

The Alliance Party delegation spoke after their meeting with the Secretary of State

The Alliance Party said Northern Ireland's political situation was in "a very serious crisis and ever deepening".

Stormont's Employment Minister Stephen Farry, who is from Alliance, said the party would judge its response to any exclusion motion on the evidence available at that time.

'Crisis'

On Tuesday, UUP leader Mike Nesbitt said he had chaired a meeting attended by the party's MLAs, MEP, MPs, senior representatives of its councillors association and its party chairman, and they had "unanimously" endorsed his recommendation to leave the executive.

He said the party's ruling body would make a final decision on Saturday and if it was supported then the party would form an opposition.

Sinn Féin has accused the UUP of creating a "crisis". The party's North Belfast MLA, Gerry Kelly, said Sinn Féin was prepared to sit and talk to all parties.

He told BBC Radio Ulster's Good Morning Ulster: "I do not think the executive should fall".

"Mike Nesbitt is trying to push the DUP into following them [the UUP]," he added.

The Ulster Unionist announcement came as part of a political row that has followed the Police Service of Northern Ireland's assertion that members of the Provisional IRA were involved in the murder of Mr McGuigan Sr earlier this month.

The 53-year-old ex-IRA man, was killed in what police believe was part of a "fall-out" in republican circles after the murder of former IRA commander Gerard 'Jock' Davison in May.

Police said an infrastructure exists at a senior level of the Provisional IRA, but that there was no evidence that Mr McGuigan's murder was sanctioned by that hierarchy.