Trimble meets Blair to discuss move to exclude Sinn Féin

Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble has met with Prime Minister Tony Blair to discuss his party’s plans to exclude Sinn Fein from government.

Mr Blair had returned early to London from the Labour party conference to meet with the leader of the Ulster Unionist Party.

Following the meeting, Mr Trimble said he would like to see the Northern Ireland executive continue without Sinn Féin.

He said: “We obviously want to see the administration continue without Sinn Fein, but if that isn’t possible and the administration comes to an end, then we would like to see a soft landing.

“We have made some exploration about this with the Prime Minister and will continue to do so that there is the minimal disruption to the government of Northern Ireland.”

Mr Trimble added that the government must do everything in its power to clamp down on paramilitary racketeering that was providing funds which were being used to payroll the operations of both loyalist and republican groups.

However, the move to exclude Sinn Féin has been criticised by both the SDLP and the Alliance Party. The SDLP’s Brid Rodgers urged David Trimble to “think again”.

While the motion to exclude Sinn Féin is thought unlikely to succeed, the Ulster Unionists and the Democratic Unionists have threatened to withdraw from the Assembly and collapse the power sharing executive. (AMcE/SP)