LAST UPDATE | 3 Feb 2024

NEW MINISTERS HAVE been appointed to the Northern Ireland Assembly after Sinn Féin’s Michelle O’Neill formally accepted a nomination to the role of Northern Ireland’s First Minister, becoming the first nationalist to ever hold the position. 

The Northern Ireland Executive returned to business today after nearly two years out of Stormont due to the DUP’s backlash against post-Brexit trading arrangements.

After leading Sinn Féin in the 2022 election, where it took the most seats for the first time, O’Neill has made history by becoming Stormont’s first nationalist First Minister.

Accepting her nomination this afternoon, O’Neill said it was a moment of “equality and progress” and a new opportunity for both sides of the chamber to work together for a better future for Northern Ireland.

“For the first time ever, a nationalist takes up the position of first minister. That such a day would ever come would have been unimaginable to my parents and grandparents’ generation, she said.

Because of the Good Friday Agreement that old state that they were born into is gone. A more democratic, more equal society has been created, making this a better place for everyone.

The DUP nominated Emma Little-Pengelly to serve as Deputy First Minister alongside O’Neill in her term as First Minister.

The DUP’s leader is Jeffrey Donaldson but he is currently an MP, not an MLA. Little-Pengelly was co-opted to take his seat in Lagan Valley.

Accepting her position, she said there must a “new approach of recognising the concerns of each other and finding solutions together”.

“We are all born equal and the people who look on this sitting today demand us to work together.”

Choosing ministers

Business started with the election of Edwin Poots, who was briefly leader of the DUP in 2021, as the new Speaker.

Following this, the ministerial roles have been filled using the D’Hondt system, a method for allocating positions between Northern Ireland’s parties in line with principles of powersharing.

Sinn Féin are entitled to three ministers, the DUP to two, and Alliance and the UUP parties to one each. The parties today took turns to select a portfolio and a minister to fill it.

The role of Justice Minister is allocated separately, though a cross-community vote.

The new ministers are:

• Justice Minister – Naomi Long (Alliance)
• Economy Minister – Conor Murphy (Sinn Féin)
• Education Minister – Paul Givan (DUP)
• Communities Minister – Gordon Lyons (DUP)
• Health Minister – Robin Swann (UUP)
• Infrastructure Minister – John O’Dowd (Sinn Féin)
• Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Minister – Andrew Muir (Alliance)
• Finance Minister - Caoimhe Archibald (Sinn Féin)
• Junior Ministers – Aisling Reilly (Sinn Féin) and Pam Cameron (DUP)

SDLP MLA Matthew O’Toole will be leader of the Opposition.

Sinn Fein requested an adjournment after two ministers had been nominated, before the action resumed. It is understood there had been an expectation that the DUP would select the Department of Finance as their first choice of ministry.

Michelle O’Neill said today that the return of an Executive will allow MLAs to address the “heavy burdens” being faced by households and business due to the high cost of living and to help public sector workers who have been engaging in industrial action.

“Tory austerity has badly damaged our public services. They have presided over more than a decade of shame. They have caused real suffering,” she said, adding: “We cannot continue to be hamstrung by Tories in London.” 

She also used her speech to express solidarity with Palestinians suffering in Gaza under Israel’s bombardment and call for a ceasefire.

Political comments

Tánaiste Micheál Martin has congratulated both O’Neill and Little-Pengelly on their roles. In a statement, he said he anticipated an early meeting of the North-South Ministerial Council, which was established under the Good Friday Agreement for cooperation between Northern Ireland and the Republic.

President Michael D Higgins said the return to Stormont would “be welcomed by all those who wish to see an effective system of power-sharing”.

Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris described it as a “great day for Northern Ireland”.

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“It’s a great day for Northern Ireland, it’s a great day for everyone here, a great day for businesses across this place and public services here,” he said.

Former Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams was among viewers in the public gallery, as well as Fiachra McGuinness, son of the late former deputy first minister Martin McGuinness. 

Sinn Féin President Mary Lou McDonald also travelled to Belfast, saying O’Neill’s new position “shows how things are changing” in Northern Ireland.

This is an historic day.

It is about the future.

It is about working together to deliver for workers and families, and creating new and exciting opportunities that ensure our children and grandchildren can achieve their dreams and ambitions in life.

As a First Minister for…

— Michelle O’Neill (@moneillsf) February 3, 2024

New Executive

Party leaders met yesterday at Stormont Castle to discuss priorities for the new Executive.

A key issue will be dealing with a budget crisis affecting public services. The UK government has offered a £3.3 billion package to secure Northern Ireland’s finances, including £600 million for settling public sector pay claims.

After nearly two years of blocking the return of Stormont, the DUP finally agreed to a deal with the UK government that saw the party lift its block on forming an Executive in exchange for changes to the Northern Ireland Protocol.

Donaldson said he was satisfied that progress was made on reducing red tape created by post-Brexit trade barriers and that the measures would “remove checks for goods moving within the UK and remaining in Northern Ireland and will end Northern Ireland automatically following future EU laws”.

Additional reporting by Press Association and Cormac Fitzgerald