First Minister’s resignation leads to call for early Stormont poll

THE resignation of Paul Givan as First Minister has led to calls for an early election to the Stormont Assembly in order to fill the political vaccum.

The DUP politician, whose term in office is the shortest of all, stepped down this afternoon.

Sinn Fein leader, Mary Lou McDonald has called for the elections, shceduled for May to be brought forward to March.

In a statement he said the institutions wre being tested by the Northern Ireland Protocol.

“Our institutions are being tested once again and the delicate balance created by the Belfast and St Andrews Agreements has been impacted by the agreement made by the United Kingdom Government and the European Union which created the Northern Ireland Protocol,” he said.

“The consent principle is a cornerstone of the Belfast Agreement and it is my earnest desire that all sections of the community will soon be able to give that consent to the restoration of a fully functioning Executive through a resolution to the issues that have regrettably brought us to this point.”