Drumcree parade resolution ‘not going to be easy’ – NI secretary

Image source, PA MediaImage caption, The secretary of state is leaving Labour's Party Conference early to return to Northern Ireland for further talks

The secretary of state for Northern Ireland has warned that a resolution to the Drumcree parading dispute was "not going to be easy" but said the government would "go the extra mile for peace".

Sir Chris Bryant said the situation was "tense" and added that "nobody wants Northern Ireland to return to the 1990s".

Protesters remained on the Garvaghy Road overnight, while Orangemen also maintained a presence at Drumcree church, but were smaller in number than previous nights.

Sir Chris was speaking at the annual Labour Party conference in Liverpool ahead of returning to Northern Ireland on Tuesday afternoon for further talks.

The main parties involved in the dispute in Northern Ireland are still in a stalemate, following a day of political talks and heated exchanges at Stormont.

Talks to resolve the issue took place on Monday as members of the Orange Order waited to begin their permitted parade, which was due to take place on Sunday morning, and walk down the mainly-nationalist Garvaghy Road in Portadown.

In his conference speech, Sir Chris said he "wanted to shout out that Northern Ireland is being transformed".

"That's the speech I wanted to give. But the situation in Drumcree is tense, and this government, like every Labour government, will always go the extra mile for peace," he said.

Image source, PA MediaImage caption, A police presence remains beside Drumcree Church on Tuesday

Sir Chris added: "As the last few days have shown, it's really easy to stir up a grievance, much harder to calm it down.

"Which is why I appeal to everyone: Believe in Northern Ireland and double down on compromise."

The Northern Ireland secretary also urged Stormont politicians to "set aside private gripes for the common good".

He said by working together "we can build a stronger, more united future for Northern Ireland" in which it does not matter "whether you hate Abba or love bingo or keep your toaster in the cupboard".

On Northern Ireland's devolved institutions, Sir Chris said that "absolutely we need to shake up Stormont".

"It's crying out for change. Six months into the financial year it's still not got a settled budget, and every single councillor in this room knows that's not normal," he added.

"And no one, at least in private, disagrees that there needs to be urgent constitutional reform in Northern Ireland.

"Of course I want to do that cross-party with the broadest possible consensus."

Addressing Troubles legacy issues, Sir Chris pledged the government would create a "reformed Legacy Commission so families in Northern Ireland and in Great Britain can get the answers they have so long sought".

"That won't be easy or comfortable. It requires candour, honesty and openness, which is exactly what the government's Troubles bill is all about," he said.

Sir Chris added the government must also "make sure that our veterans aren't constantly dragged through the courts unnecessarily".

The Drumcree parade, which in the 1990s sparked some of the most serious disorder in Northern Ireland's history, was due to go ahead for the first time in 30 years on Sunday after a series of legal challenges.

Since 1998, the Orange Order had been banned from completing its Drumcree march – and until this year had been repeatedly refused permission to finish the route by the Parades Commission, which was set up to adjudicate disputes.

The Orange Order is a Protestant pro-British organisation, while the area where it wants to walk – specifically along the Garvaghy Road – is largely Catholic and predominantly inhabited by pro-Irish nationalists.

Image source, ReutersImage caption, Protesters on the Garvaghy Road on Sunday

Protesters blocked the road over the weekend and, after a meeting with the Northern Ireland secretary, a representative of the road's residents said the Orange Order should focus on a different route.

On Sunday, protesters on the Garvaghy Road were joined by members of Sinn Féin, including First Minister Michelle O'Neill, and the Social Democratic Labour Party.

The Democratic Unionist Party subsequently accused O'Neill of acting unlawfully.

Previously Sir Chris said "nobody should be attending an unlawful protest", but he added it was not his job "to decide whether somebody has or hasn't broken the law".

Speaking in the Northern Ireland Assembly on Monday, O'Neill said she was proud to protest with the residents.

Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson, from the Police Service of Northern Ireland, said a "dedicated enquiry team" had been established, which was currently reviewing evidence gathered and "anyone who has broken the law will be investigated".

The Portadown District of the Orange Order has also lodged a complaint with the chief constable in relation to O'Neill and Sinn Féin president Mary-Lou McDonald's attendance.

What is the Garvaghy Road dispute all about?

More on this storyDrumcree stalemate continues as protesters remain overnight