Stormont crisis: DUP to reveal plan as MLAs return to assembly

DUP minister Arlene Foster said her party had a plan of action which would be revealed as the Northern Ireland Assembly returns on Monday

The Northern Ireland Assembly returns later with the Democratic Unionist Party promising it will not be business as usual.

The party failed in an attempt to have proceedings adjourned to allow for talks after the murder of ex-IRA man Kevin McGuigan Sr.

The police have said they believe IRA members were involved in his murder.

But they added there is no evidence at this stage that the killing was sanctioned by the organisation.

It is still not clear what the DUP tactics will be, but Arlene Foster said her party had a plan of action.

'Criminal activity'

The DUP finance minister told the BBC that the public "will see these actions laid out in full" on Monday.

"I'm not going to precipitate those actions coming to the fore but we've said all along that it won't be business as usual," Mrs Foster said.

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.

Welfare powers

MLAs are due to debate a Sinn Féin motion condemning the murders of former IRA members Jock Davison and Mr McGuigan, and calling on anyone with information to pass it on to the police.

Theresa Villiers said if there is no agreement on welfare reform the Westminster government will, as a last resort, take back the power to legislate on the issue

Political talks called by Downing Street are due to begin on Tuesday.

At the weekend, Northern Ireland Secretary of State Theresa Villiers said if there is no agreement on welfare reform the Westminster government will, as a last resort, take back the power to legislate on the issue.

Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness, from Sinn Féin, said on Sunday that it would be a huge mistake for Westminster to impose welfare cuts.

The Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) which has also opposed welfare reform legislation, accused the government of giving in to the DUP on the issue.

'Financial difficulties'

"It is bad politics for London to give ground to the DUP before talks have begun or for London to think they can rewrite the Good Friday Agreement, the SDLP's Alex Attwood said.

Alliance leader David Ford said the Northern Ireland Executive was facing "serious financial difficulties".

"Those serious financial difficulties have been exacerbated by the failure of Sinn Féin and the SDLP to agree the necessary reforms to the welfare system which they agreed back in December but have failed to put into practice," he said.

Mike Nesbitt said his party's absence from the assembly on Monday meant it would "very much not be business as usual"

"If it's not going to happen, the only option is that legislation goes through at Westminster."

The Ulster Unionist Party withdrew from the executive following the police assessment on the murder of Mr McGuigan.

Party leader Mike Nesbitt said he would attend the talks on Tuesday.

'Uncertainty'

"I will have with me a pathway to unblock welfare, a pathway which will allow the parties to move off their current ground without losing face," he said.

Mr Nesbitt also said the government's last resort plan to legislate for welfare reform at Westminster if the NI parties did not secure agreement created "huge uncertainty".

Sinn Féin MLA Alex Maskey said he hoped the parties would unite against any intervention from Westminster.

"We are very resolute in trying to resolve the problems, we're resolute in trying to defend the most vulnerable in our communities and would like the think the other parties would share that and I believe at heart most of them actually do," he said.