Flanagan: Don't blame Dublin or London for Stormont crisis

Yesterday the Deputy First Minister, Martin McGuinness of Sinn Féin, resigned forcing the First Minister Arlene Foster, of the DUP, to also step down.

It throws the power sharing agreement in the six counties into disarray but Minister Flanagan denies that he could have done more to help.

“I don’t accept that, obviously the issue upon which the resignation of Martin McGuinness took place … it’s an issue that it exclusively one for the internally elected representatives of NI to deal with,” he said.

“Obviously there are issues outside that that both governments can facilitate.”

Earlier:

The North's political parties are preparing for a snap election after yesterday's resignation of Martin McGuinness.

The British Secretary of State for Northern Ireland will address MPs today after Mr McGuinness's resignation caused the power-sharing agreement to descend into crisis.

James Brokenshire will update the British House of Commons after the Sinn Féin Deputy First Minister resigned in protest at the Democratic Unionists' handling of a botched green energy scheme.

Mr McGuinness's decision to walk away after 10 years sharing power with the DUP came as First Minister Arlene Foster refused to stand aside to facilitate a probe into the ill-fated Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) - the so-called "cash for ash" furore.

Martin McGuinness says 'today is the right time to call a halt to the DUP's arrogance' as he announces resignation as Deputy First Minister. pic.twitter.com/XWyFdrsweR

— RTÉ News (@rtenews) January 9, 2017

The UK Government is set to call a snap Assembly election in the wake of the energy scheme, which has left the administration in Belfast facing a £490m bill.

DUP leader Mrs Foster oversaw the doomed RHI during her time as economy minister. She has rejected Sinn Féin's demands to step down temporarily pending the outcome of a preliminary investigation.

Foster posts video reaction to McGuinness resignation: "Northern Ireland doesn't need an election, it needs stability and solutions." pic.twitter.com/73IIri28SQ

— RTÉ News (@rtenews) January 9, 2017

Under the structures of the peace process-forged institutions, neither Stormont's First Minister nor Deputy First Minister can remain in post without the other, so Mr McGuinness's resignation spelled the end of Mrs Foster's current tenure in the job.

"We in Sinn Féin will not tolerate the arrogance of Arlene Foster and the DUP," he said.

"I believe today is the right time to call a halt to the DUP's arrogance."

Mr McGuinness denied his health problems, for which he is undergoing intensive treatment, had influenced his move.

'My health has absolutely nothing to do with this whatsoever', Martin McGuinness says as he announces resignation as Deputy First Minister. pic.twitter.com/mfOpqlKXp7

— RTÉ News (@rtenews) January 9, 2017

In response, the outgoing First Minister accused Mr McGuinness of putting politics before principle.

Mrs Foster said she was "disappointed".

"His actions have meant that, at precisely the time we need our government to be active, we will have no government and no way to resolve the RHI.

"It is clear that Sinn Féin's actions are not principled, they are political."

Mr McGuinness made clear that Sinn Féin would not replace him in the role.

While politicians are set to face the electorate, a poll is unlikely to resolve the crisis if the RHI issue is not dealt with before an executive is re-formed.

Sinn Féin has warned there will be no return to the "status quo".

Mr Brokenshire said: "Unless Sinn Féin nominates a replacement to the position of Deputy First Minister within the next seven days, it is incumbent upon me to call an Assembly election within a reasonable period."

The state-funded RHI was supposed to offer a proportion of the cost businesses had to pay to run eco-friendly boilers, but the subsidy tariffs were set too high and, without a cap, it ended up paying out significantly more than the price of fuel.

This enabled applicants to "burn to earn" - getting free heat and making a profit as they did so.

Claims of widespread abuse include a farmer allegedly set to pocket around £1m in the next two decades for heating an empty shed.

While the DUP and Sinn Féin were in agreement on the terms of a potential investigation into RHI, the sticking point was the position of Mrs Foster when the probe got under way.

Steps by the Executive to cut the costs of the overspend will not be implemented in the short term.

Mr McGuinness cited other disputes with the DUP, including over the Irish language and stalled mechanisms to deal with the legacy of the Troubles, in explaining his move.

The DUP claimed RHI was not the motivation behind Sinn Féin's strategy, insisting they were exploiting the crisis to pursue a broader republican agenda.

A spokeswoman for Theresa May said: "The Prime Minister has been kept updated on the resignation of Martin McGuinness.

"The Northern Ireland Secretary James Brokenshire is in contact with people there, encouraging all parties to continue the dialogue."