Two newly suspected outbreaks of Delta variant detected in Northern Ireland

Majority of DUP MLAs and MPs vote against Edwin Poots' decision to nominate First Minister

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Subscribe              Jun 17, 2021             Alistair Bushe Editor Dear reader Just weeks after Arlene Foster was ousted as DUP leader in dramatic fashion, her successor Edwin Poots has been enduring by far the toughest day yet of his short leadership.  Most people woke up to the news that Sinn Fein had decided to nominate Michelle O'Neill as deputy first minister following late night talks with Secretary of State Brandon Lewis.  However, the nature of that deal, with Mr Lewis pledging to use Westminster to force through Irish language laws by the autumn, put paid to claims that a political crisis had been averted.  While Sinn Fein's participation in the Executive was now back on course thanks to the government once again using Westminster to override Stormont, it left the DUP and Mr Poots with a dilemma. It emerged in mid-morning that MPs and peers had written to Mr Poots, urging him not to nominate Paul Givan, his fellow Lagan Valley MLA, as first minister.  And subsequent to that it was confirmed that a majority of the party's MLAs and MPs voted against Mr Poots's move to nominate Mr Givan.  Mr Givan and Ms O'Neill were eventually nominated and the new Executive has been sitting remotely this afternoon for the first time.  However, you get the sense that this crisis is far from over, especially for Mr Poots.   And as for Arlene Foster? Mr Poots's predecessor tweeted (probably not by coincidence) that she was enjoying a lunch out in Belfast with friends.  Alistair Bushe Editor Want total access to all of our online content? You can subscribe to our website, newsletter.co.uk for just £1 for 3 months - and it couldn't be easier.   Signing up will get you faster-loading articles, fewer adverts and access to exclusive content and events when we run them. To learn more, visit our Subscriptions page here.           Two newly suspected outbreaks of Delta variant detected in Northern Ireland           The Public Health Agency (PHA) has confirmed it has detected what are likely to be two new outbreaks of the Covid-19 Delta variant in Northern Ireland.                 LIVE UPDATES: DUP in disarray - Arlene Foster tweet goes viral as DUP implodes   As the DUP continues to tear itself apart former First Minister, Arlene Foster, told her near 100,000 Twitter followers she had just had a "lovely lunch" with a friend and she hoped "everyone is having a great day this lovely sunny afternoon".           England's chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty has said Covid-19 "has not thrown its last surprise'   Speaking at the NHS Confed Conference, he said he is anticipating that case rates will continue to go up in the next few weeks due to the Delta variant being "significantly more transmissible" than the Alpha variant.           Majority of DUP MLAs and MPs vote against Edwin Poots's decision to nominate First Minister   It is understood a significant majority of DUP MLAs and MPs have voted against Edwin Poots's decision to nominate a Stormont First Minister.           International Covid travel restrictions may be eased for fully vaccinated UK holidaymakers   International travel rules could be relaxed for those who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19, under plans being considered by the Government           Arlene Foster's 'lovely lunch' as DUP disarray intensifies   Ousted DUP leader Arlene Foster has enjoyed "a lovely lunch with a good friend" as the DUP suffers a major crisis at Stormont.           Airline bosses 'bewildered' Majorca not on UK's green list as German holidaymakers flock to destination   The Government has been criticised by the bosses of Jet2 Easyjet and Manchester Airport for not putting the Balearic Islands, including Majorca, on the green travel list.           Millions of people could get 'default' right to work from home under new proposals   Millions of office staff could be given a 'default' right to continue working from home after the Covid pandemic, under new plans being considered by ministers.                 View more news

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