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Stormont crisis: SDLP to oppose Northern Ireland Assembly adjournment Stormont crisis: Bid to adjourn Northern Ireland Assembly fails
(34 minutes later)
The SDLP has said it will oppose a proposal to adjourn the Northern Ireland Assembly. A proposal to adjourn the Northern Ireland Assembly has been defeated.
The business committee is due to meet to discuss the issue later today. It was put before Stormont's business committee and was opposed by the Ulster Unionists, the SDLP and Sinn Féin.
On Wednesday, DUP leader Peter Robinson said his party would resign from the Stormont Executive if the committee did not agree the proposal or if the government does not suspend the institutions. On Wednesday, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) said it would resign from the executive if the committee did not agree the proposal or if the government does not suspend the institutions.
It follows a political crisis sparked by the murder of former IRA man Kevin McGuigan Sr. The failure of the adjournment bid is the latest development in an ongoing political crisis in Northern Ireland.
This deepened after the arrests of three senior republicans on Wednesday. It was sparked by the murder of former IRA man Kevin McGuigan Sr last month.
Sinn Féin's northern chairman Bobby Storey is one of the three republicans being questioned about the murder. The crisis deepened after the arrests of three senior republicans on Wednesday.
Sinn Féin's northern chairman Bobby Storey is one of those being questioned about the murder.
As the DUP are the largest party, the power-sharing institutions cannot operate without them.
Sinn Féin's Martin McGuinness said that if the DUP resigns from the executive then "we move immediately to an election".
He added: "I don't think people want an election at this time."
Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams said while his party did not, they would face it "positively" if it was to happen.
SDLP leader Alasdair McDonnell said his party's decision to vote against the adjournment was unanimous.
"The adjournment was being sought on the basis of arrests, which was a direct interference between the policing and the judicial process," he said.
He added: "We will not cross the wires of the political process here and policing and that is what the DUP have been doing, creating a crisis here around the arrest.
He criticised other parties for putting the institutions at risk but said adjournment was not the answer.
David Ford, the leader of the Alliance Party, which voted in favour of an adjournment, said the leadership of the Ulster Unionist Party and the SDLP had "sacrificed the peace process".
"The people of Northern Ireland are disappointed at how devolution has worked.
"The reality is we are going to have to have talks - it would be better they happened in the next weeks than in five years time."
The Police Service of Northern Ireland's Chief Constable George Hamilton said last month that Provisional IRA members had a role in Mr McGuigan Sr's murder.The Police Service of Northern Ireland's Chief Constable George Hamilton said last month that Provisional IRA members had a role in Mr McGuigan Sr's murder.
Sinn Féin has denied this and maintains the Provisional IRA no longer exists.Sinn Féin has denied this and maintains the Provisional IRA no longer exists.
The chief constable also said there was no evidence at that stage that the killing had been sanctioned at a senior level of the organisation.The chief constable also said there was no evidence at that stage that the killing had been sanctioned at a senior level of the organisation.
Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams said there was only one republican organisation and that was Sinn Féin.Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams said there was only one republican organisation and that was Sinn Féin.
"The IRA has gone," he said."The IRA has gone," he said.
Party colleague Conor Murphy said it appeared both the Irish and British governments were pandering to "inter-unionist" conflict.
'Stunt politics'
"The contrived crisis has been provoked by the crass party politicking of Mike Nesbitt who is incapable of providing leadership," he said.
"And in a further failure of leadership the DUP are foolishly responding to the stunt politics of the UUP."
Mr Murphy said there was "no rationale" to shut down institutions and said his party would be voting to ensure the institutions continued.
Stormont business committee
The committee has 10 members drawn from the five main parties, is chaired by the speaker and includes party whips.
It generally meets once a week while the assembly is sitting.
Its main function is to consider what business is to be scheduled for assembly plenary sessions, held on Monday and Tuesday.
The speaker is Sinn Féin's Mitchel McLaughlin and he has the power to allow a recall of the committee.
Votes on the business committee do not require cross-community support, but straight majorities.
Committee members cast their votes in proportion to their parties' strengths in the assembly. For example, DUP members wield 38 votes, representing the number of MLAs in the assembly group.
Last week, the DUP's request for an adjournment of the assembly was rejected because it only won support from Alliance and was therefore outvoted by the combined votes of the SDLP, Sinn Féin and UUP.
DUP Health Minister Simon Hamilton said the situation was "very difficult" but said he thought a resolution was possible.
"It is not business as usual, it cannot be business as usual," he said.
"We need to have space for talks... we have had murder now being investigated.
"It highlights the seriousness of the situation."
The business committee is to meet on Thursday afternoon and members will then vote on the DUP proposal.
Adjournment or suspension?
The political difference between adjournment and suspension is that adjournment would be a voluntary decision by the parties of the assembly - that would not necessarily be as big a deal as suspension.
In that scenario, the secretary of state would be in control of the institutions and she would decide how long it would last.
If we have an adjournment, the DUP, Sinn Féin and indeed the other ministers who are still in office, continue in their jobs.
A suspension would affect not just the assembly, but also mean a suspension of the executive and the ministers.
As the DUP are the largest party, the power-sharing institutions cannot operate without them.
A SDLP delegation met with Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Enda Kenny in Dublin on Thursday morning.
Leader Alasdair McDonnell described their meeting with Mr Kenny as "useful and robust".