Martin McGuinness is to resign as deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland. McGuiness’s resignation is designed to embarrass the First Minister, the DUP’s Arlene Foster, over the hugely over-budget renewable heat incentive scheme. McGuinness walking out effectively collapses the power-sharing executive and will lead to fresh Assembly elections.
McGuinness going puts further pressure on the embattled Foster. She has been in trouble over the renewable heat incentive scheme which is almost £500 million over budget. McGuinness says he is resigning because Foster cannot stay in place while an inquiry into the running of it goes on. Under it, you could get money for simply running your heating whatever the weather.
There is one way that elections could be avoided. The DUP could nominate an alternative First Minister who Sinn Fein would agree to work with. But Foster has been clear that she won’t step aside and it is hard to imagine that the DUP will want to let Sinn Fein, in effect, remove its party leader.
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