Foster denies sectarianising Stormont’s response to Covid-19

Former Northern Ireland first minister Baroness Arlene Foster has denied “sectarianising” Stormont’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic by deploying a controversial veto mechanism to prevent the extension of restrictions.

Giving evidence to the Covid-19 Inquiry in Belfast, the former DUP leader conceded the row in November 2020 marked a “low point” in the Executive’s handling of the pandemic and she acknowledged the use of the cross-community vote damaged public confidence.

The controversy unfolded during a series of back-to-back Executive meetings across four days, which saw all the other parties in the devolved coalition administration push for a two-week circuit breaker extension to restrictions, as recommended by health officials.

However, the DUP, which was concerned about the economic effect of continued closures of close-contact services and coffee shops, deployed the veto mechanism to stop the majority opinion from holding sway.

The other parties heavily criticised