Tensions within the executive are evident over the handling of the coronavirus pandemic with ministers making claims and counter-claims.
In just a few hours:
- Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill hit out at Health Minister Robin Swann, claiming his response to the pandemic had been 'too slow'
- First Minister Arlene Foster backed Mr Swann and denied claims the executive is 'collapsing into disarray'
- the Irish government said it has not jointly ordered personal protective equipment with Stormont, contradicting Conor Murphy's announcement last week
- Justice Minister Naomi Long said “concerted briefing” from anonymous sources about supposed rifts in the executive is “utterly disgraceful”
- Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon said the anonymous briefings had "no basis in fact at all"
The latest rows began after Ms O'Neill claimed on the BBC last night Mr Swann had been "too slow" to act on issues such as testing and personal protective equipment (PPE) for healthcare staff.
The Sinn Fein vice president accused the Ulster Unionist minister and his Department of Health officials of "slavishly following the Boris Johnson model".
However, Mrs Foster said she had confidence in Mr Swann and insisted the executive was pulling together.
"It's not collapsing into disarray, it's very important to recognise that we are coming forward as a five-party executive, I as the First Minister have a leadership role in that and I am trying to pull people together, and I speak to all of the ministers and pull us all together," she said.
Amid rows about a lack of personal protective equipment for health staff, Mr Murphy said last week that a "significant" consignment of PPE had been secured in a joint order between Stormont and the Irish Government.
However, Stormont sources queried whether any deal between the two administrations for the order had been finalised.
Read more:Questions over Conor Murphy's 'deal' with Irish government to get PPE from China
The Republic's Department of Health today confirmed that no joint order has been placed for personal protective equipment (PPE) from China in conjunction with the executive.
A spokeswoman said: "We are ready to discuss any area where we can co-operate effectively, north and south, including on procurement of PPE and critical supplies.
"In relation to procurement, while it has not so far proved possible to place a joint order in the context of what is an increasingly challenging international environment, discussions between procurement teams are ongoing and active, and it remains our intention to continue to co-operate in this area."
Speaking at an NI Executive press conference later in the afternoon Conor Murphy said it had become apparent over the weekend that other major players were entering the international market for materials and that "We sent them our requirements on Friday night".
"We have struggled all week to keep that order in place until yesterday afternoon when we learned that those supply lines have been bought over by others."
Arrangements had been made for payment before the order fell through, he said.
The Sinn Féin minister said people on the ground had been checking the quality of stock bought by the Dublin government.
"We will try another alternative pipeline."
He added an agreement for greater collaboration on procurement had been signed between health departments north and south of the border.
Meanwhile, Justice Minister Naomi Long has hit out at unanonymous sources who she claimed were giving false briefings to the media about what was actually going on in the executive.
Newspaper reports suggested that Ms O'Neill was critical of Ms Long at Monday's executive meeting, with sources telling The Irish Times “Naomi gave as good as she got”, effectively telling her “to get stuffed”.
Ms Long later tweeted that this exchange "never happened".
In a Twitter message to News Letter political editor Sam McBride she wrote: "There is concerted briefing going on that bears no relation to the truth, which is utterly disgraceful given the context.
"Ask (SDLP infrastructure minister) Nichola Mallon if you need corroboration that is bears no resemblance to any Executive meeting we have been at."
Sam, this is completely untrue.
— Naomi Long MLA (@naomi_long) April 3, 2020
There is concerted briefing going on that bears no relation to the truth, which is utterly disgraceful given the context.
Ask @NicholaMallon if you need corroboration that is bears no resemblance to any Executive meeting we have been at.
Infrastructure Minister, the SDLP's Nichola Mallon later backed up Ms Long's view.
She said the anonymous briefings had "no basis in fact at all".
"Incredulous that in the middle of a crisis some people are expending energy misrepresenting & briefing against others," she tweeted.
No basis in fact at all. Incredulous that in the middle of a crisis some people are expending energy misrepresenting & briefing against others.
— Nichola Mallon (@NicholaMallon) April 3, 2020
