Attorney general may be consulted on DUP meetings boycott

The DUP say the protocol undermines Northern Ireland's position in the United Kingdom

A High Court judge overseeing legal action against the Democratic Unionist Party's (DUP) boycott of north-south meetings has suggested NI's attorney general could be consulted on the case.

Mr Justice Scoffield made the comments during the latest hearing in the ongoing political row.

A Belfast businessman is seeking a court order to compel the DUP to attend the cross-border meetings.

The DUP snub, in opposition to the NI Protocol, has been ruled unlawful.

On Wednesday, the court heard another north-south meeting was scheduled to take place this Friday, but was unlikely to happen.

It was initially due to take place to allow ministers to sign off on £1bn of EU Peace Plus funding.

That issue was dealt with last week when it was included in the agenda for a north-south meeting on health, which did go ahead.

But Sean Napier's lawyer told the court it was still not entirely clear why this Friday's meeting was not going to proceed.

Ronan Lavery QC argued that "transparent government" meant the public should be entitled to information about how these meetings are scheduled.

The judge replied that certain issues in the executive were "confidential and properly so", but added that there needed to be clarity about "when meetings are scheduled, who is nominated and what the agenda should be".

He then raised the possibility of inviting Northern Ireland's Attorney General Brenda King to take part in the proceedings.

She is the executive's chief legal adviser but also acts as the guardian of the rule of law.

Mr Justice Scoffield suggested that the attorney general "might have greater understanding" of the legal and political ramifications of the case but said he would take further advice before deciding whether to issue an invitation.

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The court heard there are several further north-south meetings listed to take place on 3, 10 and 24 November.

Appearing for several DUP ministers, Dr Tony McGleehan QC, said the "next key pressure point" appeared to be 24 November, and argued that the judge should take a "staged approach".

The judge said he would review the case on Friday 5 November after the half-term break to assess "what, if anything has moved on".

The court also heard that an application by loyalist commentator Jamie Bryson to intervene in the case has been rejected.

First Minister Paul Givan last week dismissed claims that two north-south meetings had been cancelled

The NSMC is the main body for cross-border co-operation between the governments of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

It is attended by ministers from both sides of the border who oversee joint working in areas such as trade, food safety and agriculture.

The DUP is refusing to attend in protest against the Northern Ireland Protocol.

The protocol is part of the Brexit deal agreed in 2019 and was introduced to help prevent checks along the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

But unionists say it creates a barrier to trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland and undermines the latter's position in the UK.

Several other Stormont ministers have called on the DUP to end their boycott of the meetings, which began last month, but the party has not indicated it will change its stance.

Last week, First Minister Paul Givan dismissed claims that two north-south meetings had been cancelled, saying he had not jointly agreed the agendas with Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill.