Sinn Féin take up offices in House of Commons

Sinn Féin's four Members of Parliament have taken up their offices at the House of Commons for the first time, following the lifting of the ban on their use of parliamentary facilities.

The party’s four MPs have so far refused to take their seats in the Commons and will not make the oath of allegiance to the Queen required to sit in the Commons.

However, they are now able to use the palace's facilities and receive office allowances after a controversial Commons vote which was held last month. The outcome was opposed by both unionist parties and the Conservatives.

Party president Gerry Adams, Martin McGuinness, Pat Doherty and Michele Gildernew arrived in London on Monday January 21 to take up the office facilities available to all other MPs.

The four met Prime Minister Tony Blair for a meeting at noon on Monday in order to address growing republican unease about the government’s response to recent loyalist paramilitary murders and attacks. (AMcE)