The Northern Ireland Affairs Committee of Westminster has suggested that Stormont’s first and deputy first ministers should be renamed “joint first ministers”. They believe that this recommendation can help reform power-sharing and promote political stability in Northern Ireland. The committee published a report outlining a number of changes that it believes are necessary to maintain the agreement’s parity of esteem as the region has been without a government for 21 months.
One change the committee wants to see is to rebrand the titles of first and deputy first ministers as “joint first ministers”. Although these titles carry equal weight, one minister cannot act without the other. The committee recommends the government consult with the parties in Northern Ireland and legislate the proposal to take effect at the start of the next assembly mandate.
The Democratic Unionist Party, the largest unionist party in Northern Ireland, have opposed the report, with their MP Carla Lockhart saying she has “grave concerns” about the recommendations made. The DUP has been blocking power-sharing at Stormont since February 2020 because of post-Brexit trade rules, and they have said they will not return to the institutions until they reach a deal with Number 10 that applies to Northern Ireland.
The committee also suggested that the NI assembly’s speaker should instead be elected by a two-thirds supermajority of Stormont’s 90 Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs), and that this change should happen “as soon as practicable”. The committee recommended short-term measures aimed at improving devolution, including more stringent safeguards to protect against the cycle of restoration and collapse that has dogged Stormont. The committee called for a formal independent review of the institutions so that the government can start preparations for a citizens’ assembly in Northern Ireland to allow members of the public to suggest how to reform it.
In conclusion, with Northern Ireland without a government for 21 months, Westminster’s Northern Ireland Affairs Committee has made several recommendations for power-sharing and political stability in the region. Among these recommendations is the rebranding of first and deputy first ministers as “joint first ministers”. The committee has recommended short-term measures to improve devolution in the region, stringent safeguards and for the UK government to commission a formal and independent review of the institutions
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