A former Ulster Unionist Party councillor, who quit the party after he wasn’t chosen to replace Robin Swann at Stormont, despite being endorsed by then party leader Doug Beattie, has joined the DUP.
In the wake of the scandal surrounding former Sinn Féin press officer Michael McMonagle, the Assembly has published a review into the use of allowances by MLAs. It says that it is likely that McMonagle ‘misrepresented details of his employments’.
First Minister Michelle O’Neill’s special adviser and Sinn Féin councillor on Belfast City Council, Cliódhna Nic Bhranair, has stepped down from her role on the council to focus on her job at Stormont, according to reports from Belfast Media Group.
Ulster Unionist councillor Darryl Wilson has announced his resignation from the party, but will remain on Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council until the end of his term as an independent, but has said he is “considering various paths for the future”.
Sinn Féin Leader Mary Lou McDonald has announced that Economy Minister Conor Murphy is to stand in the Seanad Éireann election in January, and will step down from the Northern Ireland Assembly if he is elected.
DUP leader Gavin Robinson MP has confirmed that his party intend to pull the Stormont Brake mechanism for the first time, after being introduced as part of the Windsor Framework. It is expected to pass with support from all unionist parties in the Assembly.
In a bid to reduce the traffic congestion in Belfast City Centre, the Infrastructure Minister has announced that taxis will be allowed to use bus lanes from Wednesday 18 December, but the decision has seen criticism from a range of politicians and cycling advocacy groups.
Former Chair of the Northern Ireland Affairs Select Committee (NIAC) Simon Hoare has re-joined the Committee, it has been announced. The MP said he is “delighted to be returning to the Committee.”
Several MLAs have raised concerns about the appointment of DUP councillor Mervyn Storey as Chair of the Board of the Education Authority (EA), which was announced by Education Minister Paul Givan on Friday.
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