Michelle O’Neill, Sinn Fein’s First Minister of Northern Ireland, has declared that the “chaos” engulfing Westminster underscores the urgent need to “break the shackles” of the UK Parliament. Speaking in London after meeting with the SNP and Plaid Cymru, she highlighted the growing nationalist sentiment across the devolved nations following recent election victories.
O’Neill was joined by party president Mary Lou McDonald, who described the turmoil in Westminster as “the kind of chaos that we experienced throughout the whole Brexit process”. McDonald argued that the election results in Scotland and Wales signal a “seismic change”, with people increasingly seeking a new constitutional arrangement where decisions affecting Ireland are taken in Ireland.
McDonald reiterated Sinn Fein’s call for the British Government to honour the Good Friday Agreement and begin preparations for referendums on Irish reunification. O’Neill expressed concern that Irish interests could be damaged by the internal drama within the Labour Party, as Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer battles for his political future.
O’Neill criticised the UK Government for focusing on “internal drama” rather than addressing the cost-of-living crisis, stating that people deserve better than the “chaos after chaos” of Brexit and austerity. She argued that the election results show the people of Scotland and Wales want to take their fortunes into their own hands, and that Northern Ireland must follow suit.
The Sinn Fein leader’s comments come after she made history in 2024 as Northern Ireland’s first nationalist First Minister, though she co-leads the Executive with DUP deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly. Little-Pengelly has countered that Northern Ireland needs a First Minister who stands up for it, rather than promoting its abolition.
