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Emergency bill on NI devolution NI bill rushed through Parliament
(about 13 hours later)
Emergency legislation is to be rushed through Parliament to give effect to the historic power-sharing deal brokered in Northern Ireland. Emergency legislation allowing Northern Ireland's historic power-sharing deal to go ahead has been rushed through Parliament with all-party backing.
Ian Paisley and Gerry Adams have agreed to share power on 8 May. NI Secretary Peter Hain hailed the "triumph of peace over conflict" as the deadline for devolution was effectively extended by six weeks.
Commons leader Jack Straw said MPs and peers will be asked to back the bill, which delays devolution by six weeks, due to "exceptional circumstances". It follows Monday's ground-breaking deal between the DUP and Sinn Fein to share power in a new Assembly on 8 May.
The government hopes the bill will be law by midnight on Tuesday. Opposition parties have pledged their support. The NI (St Andrews Agreement No 2) Bill cleared all its stages without a vote.
Meanwhile, there is growing speculation that the MEP Jim Allister may be about to resign from the DUP. It has received Royal Assent.
Mr Allister is known to be opposed to the DUP executive resolution committing to power-sharing with Sinn Fein in May. Mr Hain praised Mr Paisley's "courage and leadership" in engaging with Mr Adams at Stormont.
He has called a news conference for Tuesday. Mr Paisley told the Commons on Tuesday that it was a "good day" for the House, for the United Kingdom and for the "people of Ireland, north and south".
Devolved government is to return to Northern Ireland following an historic meeting between the leaders of the DUP and Sinn Fein on Monday. He said there was a "star of hope" that could lead to a bright future.
On Monday, Mr Paisley said the DUP would fully participate in government. Mr Adams said it was a "new era". I can live much more comfortably with lost seats than with what other parties have to live with - which is lost years, lost opportunities and lost lives Mark DurkanSDLP leader class="" href="/1/hi/uk/6497393.stm">Analysis: End of the hatred But he added: "It is only a star of hope and we must remember that.
Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness - set to be deputy first minister - said a lot of work had been done in the background before Monday's agreement. "We are not nearly across the river and we have some very hard things to do, and some great sacrifices to be made, in order that this star will not be like many other stars."
"Obviously this agreement didn't come out of thin air. There was a considerable amount of work done in the days leading up to it," Mr McGuinness said. Mr Paisley said it was a "work-in" rather than "a love-in we are engaged in".
He said it was vital that the DUP and Sinn Fein now make a joint approach to Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown to try to build on the economic package on offer to Northern Ireland. He said they had raised with Sinn Fein the issue of the killing of Belfast man Robert McCartney, and said: "We did get the promise that something would be done."
"I think the impact of yesterday's developments will not be lost on anyone, least of all the chancellor and the British prime minister. We've a very strong hand, a very strong case to make." Speaking in the House of Commons earlier, the DUP MP William McCrea said there was no place for Sinn Fein in government.
'Extraordinary significance' "As far as I am concerned Sinn Fein in the government is abnoxious to me. It makes me sick to the bottom of my stomach."
There will be many in this House and beyond who would never have expected such a development in their own lifetimes Jack Straw class="" href="/1/hi/uk/6497393.stm">Analysis: End of the hatred "Because my thoughts are with the innocent victims, both Protestant and Roman Catholic throughout this community, that have been slaughtered by the IRA and so-called loyalist terrorist organisations."
Hailing the "extraordinary significance" of the deal, Jack Straw later told the Commons it was right the House should do all it could to facilitate moves towards a "final political settlement" in Northern Ireland. SDLP leader Mark Durkan said the developments of recent days had "vindicated" those who had always supported power-sharing, but voiced regret at past opposition to it by other parties.
"There will be many in this House and beyond who would never have expected such a development in their own lifetimes," he said. "When people see parties who rejected those concepts then settling for and embracing those concepts they do have to wonder did we have to go through the suffering, the hurt, the political stalemate, the stagnation, the divisions that we went through - and the answer is that we didn't," he said.
Shadow leader of the House, Theresa May, pledged Conservative co-operation to get the bill through Parliament and paid tribute to those who brought about the deal. href="/1/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/07/uk_enl_1174918835/html/1.stm" onClick="window.open('http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/07/uk_enl_1174918835/html/1.stm', '1174918899', 'toolbar=0,scrollbars=0,location=0,statusbar=0,menubar=0,resizable=1,width=600,height=478,left=312,top=100'); return false;">Historic day: The two leaders sat side by side at Stormont href="javascript: void window.open('http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/07/uk_enl_1174918835/html/1.stm', '1174918899', 'toolbar=0,scrollbars=0,location=0,statusbar=0,menubar=0,resizable=1,width=600,height=478,left=312,top=100');" >Enlarge Image "I know in recent times in this process, maybe because of our tolerance, our patience, our generosity, my party has lost seats.
David Heath, for the Liberal Democrats, described the agreement as "extraordinary and welcome news" "But I can live much more comfortably with lost seats than with what other parties have to live with - which is lost years, lost opportunities and lost lives."
On Monday, Prime Minister Tony Blair said it was a very important day for the people of Northern Ireland. Ulster Unionist MP Sylvia Hermon warned: "One of the greatest casualties yesterday was trust in the entire Northern Ireland ministerial team who gave undertakings and commitments in this House that there would be no emergency legislation to break through the 26 March deadline."
href="/1/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/07/uk_enl_1174918835/html/1.stm" onClick="window.open('http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/07/uk_enl_1174918835/html/1.stm', '1174918899', 'toolbar=0,scrollbars=0,location=0,statusbar=0,menubar=0,resizable=1,width=600,height=478,left=312,top=100'); return false;">Historic day: The two leaders sat side by side at Stormont href="javascript: void window.open('http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/07/uk_enl_1174918835/html/1.stm', '1174918899', 'toolbar=0,scrollbars=0,location=0,statusbar=0,menubar=0,resizable=1,width=600,height=478,left=312,top=100');" >Enlarge Image It is Sinn Fein policy not to take part in debates at Westminster.
Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern said this had "the potential to transform the future of this island". The government hopes the bill will be law by midnight on Tuesday. Opposition parties have already pledged their support.
Chancellor Gordon Brown had promised an extra £1bn if devolution was back on 26 March on top of £35bn pledged by the government over four years.
The British and Irish governments had said they would shut the assembly if an executive was not agreed on Monday.
However, Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Hain said: "When you have got both major parties saying we will deliver... that gives me confidence that this process is finally achieved."
The DUP and Sinn Fein emerged as the two largest parties in the recent assembly election.
The power-sharing executive will have four DUP ministers, three Sinn Fein, two UUP and one SDLP.
The Northern Ireland Assembly has been suspended since October 2002, amid allegations of an IRA spy ring at Stormont.
A subsequent court case collapsed. Direct rule has been in place since that date.