Sinn Fein's Michelle O'Neill says DUP won't accept her as first minister

Sinn Féin's Michelle O'Neill has accused the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) of refusing to return to power-sharing at Stormont because an Irish nationalist would be first minister.

She made the comment at her party's ard fheis (annual conference) in Dublin.

Sinn Féin became the biggest party at Stormont after an election in May, meaning Ms O'Neill is entitled to be first minister.

But the DUP's refusal to join an executive prevented her from doing so.

The DUP has said it will not return to devolved government until its complaints about the post-Brexit trading arrangement known as the Northern Ireland Protocol are addressed.

During her speech at the ard fheis, Ms O'Neill said the DUP was using its protest about the protocol as "cover".

"It is wrong that progress on the issues affecting the daily lives of people are being put on hold because one party refuses to accept the democratic outcome of last May's Assembly election," she said.

"At any time this would be unacceptable but in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis it is utterly disgraceful.

"As you all know the DUP are using the Brexit Protocol as cover not to enter power-sharing.

"The real reason is because as an Irish nationalist I will be at the helm as first minister and everybody knows it."

The DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has previously said he accepts the outcome of the May election but will not change his stance on power-sharing until his issues with the protocol have been resolved.

Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald is due to give the keynote speech on Saturday evening.

The party is the largest in opposition in the Republic of Ireland, where recent polls have pointed to rising support.

Sinn Féin's conference takes place at a time when the party has much to be confident about.

But while it is now in pole position at Stormont, Michelle O'Neill has yet to spend a second in the first minister's chair.

That could be to the party's benefit when it comes to attracting voters in the event another assembly election is called.

Expect to hear from the leadership about what it believes should be on the table if the assembly remains mothballed, including calling for Irish unity plans to be ramped up.

Until February Ms O'Neill had been Stormont's deputy first minister.

But when the DUP removed Paul Givan as first minister from the executive in protest over the protocol that meant Ms O'Neill could not remain in office either.

Sinn Féin has repeatedly called for an executive to be restored, saying the onus was on the DUP to "end its boycott".

During her speech in Dublin, Ms O'Neill accused the DUP and the Conservative Party of creating chaos and dysfunction at Stormont and Westminster.

She also criticised Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris over his indecision about calling another Stormont election.

She called for his statement to the House of Commons next week to be definitive as "drip feeding is fuelling instability and uncertainty".

Ms O'Neill also called on the UK and the EU to "propel the protocol talks" and demonstrate will to find a solution.

You can watch Mary Lou McDonald's leader's speech this evening on the BBC News NI website from 18:30 GMT.