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Brexit: DUP and Sinn Féin attend Theresa May meeting | |
(about 1 hour later) | |
Prime Minister Theresa May is discussing Brexit with the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and Sinn Féin. | |
She is meeting the parties at a Joint Ministerial Committee (JMC) summit in Cardiff, where ministers will discuss support for trade and investment. | |
DUP leader Arlene Foster and Sinn Féin's Northern Ireland leader Michelle O'Neill are attending the meeting. | |
Mrs May will travel to Dublin later to meet Taoiseach Enda Kenny, with Brexit also on the agenda for their talks. | |
The JMC is designed to keep the UK's devolved regions informed about Brexit and it is made up of leaders and ministers from the devolved governments in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. | |
Mrs O'Neill is attending the Brexit discussions in her capacity as health minister, while Mrs Foster is also present although she is no longer first minister. | |
Analysis: Gareth Gordon, BBC News NI political correspondent in Cardiff | Analysis: Gareth Gordon, BBC News NI political correspondent in Cardiff |
It will be interesting to see the chemistry between DUP leader Arlene Foster and Sinn Féin's newly-appointed Stormont leader Michelle O'Neill at Monday's JMC meeting. | |
But it has not started well - before they had even arrived, Mrs O'Neill said the DUP leader had no right to be here as she is no longer first minister after the collapse of the Northern Ireland Executive. | |
The DUP says Mrs Foster is entitled under the law to fulfil some functions of the office, but when I ran into Mrs O'Neill at the airport she said that justification was stretching it. | |
Sinn Féin accused the DUP leader of being in denial about losing her ministerial job. | |
But the DUP replied that Sinn Féin should check the law that enables Mrs Foster to continue to carry out some of her ministerial functions. | |
Ahead of the discussions, Mrs O'Neill said the government had "ignored the views of the majority of the people" in Northern Ireland on Brexit. | |
While the UK as a whole voted to leave the EU in last June's referendum, 56% of people in Northern Ireland wanted to remain inside the union. | |
"I don't believe [Mrs May] is listening," she said. | |
"I need her to listen to views of the majority of the people of the north who voted to remain within the European Union." |