Stormont stalemate like seventh circle of hell, says Alliance

Dozens of US politicians visited Parliament Buildings

The political stalemate at Stormont is the "political equivalent of the seventh circle of hell", an Alliance Party assembly member has said.

Kellie Armstrong was among representatives of the five largest Northern Ireland parties who addressed a delegation of 200 US politicians.

The American Irish State Legislators Caucus visited Parliament Buildings as part of a series of engagements.

Stormont's power-sharing institutions collapsed in February 2022.

The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) withdrew in protest against post-Brexit trade rules known as the Northern Ireland Protocol.

The party has said the Windsor Framework deal - struck by the EU and UK government to reform the protocol - does not go far enough to address their concerns.

Ms Armstrong said she made reference to Dante's Inferno when the US politicians asked about the continuing deadlock.

The poem - which means "hell" in Italian - describes the poet Dante's journey through the underworld.

She said she was "absolutely furious" that the executive and assembly had not been functioning.

"I have to say at the moment, it feels like we're just going round in circles," she said.

"We're not getting anywhere fast. We have a budget that is causing so many problems in Northern Ireland.

"Sadly, we have no legislature here to take any solutions forward."

Kellie Armstrong says she is "absolutely furious" that the executive and assembly have not been functioning.

DUP assembly member Emma Little-Pengelly said concerns over the NI Protocol and Windsor Framework still needed to be addressed.

"As [DUP leader] Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has said, we need to get the right deal, we have to get the fair deal," she said.

"It has to be something that builds the right foundations for moving forward.

"That is what we're working towards and we're working very constructively with the UK government to try to find resolutions to the outstanding issues."

Emma Little Pengelly says Northern Ireland needs to get the right deal on the NI Protocol

Sinn Féin assembly member Conor Murphy said it was "not a tenable situation" to allow the current stalemate to "drift on".

"If it wasn't tenable when the DUP brought down the institutions, and there was no negotiation happening, it's certainly not tenable now when the negotiation has concluded," he said.

He urged the UK and Irish governments to work together to end the impasse and consider alternatives if there was no resolution.

Earlier, Robin Vos, the Republican speaker of the Wisconsin State Assembly, said the US politicians were in Northern Ireland to listen and learn.

Asked whether he believed their visit would help or hinder efforts to restore the Stormont institutions, he said he wanted the US wanted to be an "active partner" in finding solutions.

"We have got a great opportunity to bring more business here, which I think benefits both of our nations," he said.

Current and former Democrat and Republican senators and members of Congress from across 44 states are part of the delegation, which also includes lawmakers from state legislatures.

Montana Senator Shannon O'Brien, with Stormont speaker Alex Maskey, Robin Vos, the president of the National Conference of State Legislators and SDLP assembly member Patsy McGlone

This week US legislators wrote to the UK government to express their "profound concern" about the Troubles Legacy Bill.

In a letter to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton Harris, they said the bill did not address the concerns of political parties, victims' groups and civil society in Northern Ireland.

Despite widespread opposition the bill, which aims to end investigations into Troubles-related killings, civil cases and inquests, is nearing completion in Parliament.

It is due to return to the Lords next month for further consideration.

What is the legacy bill?

• Legislation that aims to draw a line under the Northern Ireland Troubles by dealing with so-called legacy issues

• The Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill runs to almost 100 pages

• It was introduced in May 2022 in an attempt to deal with more than 1,000 unsolved killings

• A central element involves immunity from prosecution for those who co-operate with investigations run by a new information recovery body

• Victims' groups, the Irish government and political parties at Stormont are opposed to the bill arguing it will remove access to justice for victims and their families

• Veterans Commissioner Danny Kinahan gave the bill a cautious welcome and it is also supported by the Northern Ireland Veterans Movement

• The bill had its second reading in the Lords on 23 November. The government told peers it would bring forward amendments including "a more robust process" around immunity from prosecution

• Lord Caine of the Northern Ireland Office said the ICRIR would be able to conduct criminal investigations and to expect more amendments to the bill

• In June an amendment was introduced that would delay changes for a year to "ensure a smooth transition" to new arrangements

• Another amendment stated any investigation run by the ICRIR must comply with obligations under the Human Rights Act 1998