Foster ‘personally handed’ draft powersharing to Sinn Fein leader

Sinn Fein’s Michelle O’neill has insisted Arlene Foster personally handed her a draft deal to restore powersharing in Northern Ireland just days before the DUP leader pulled the plug on talks.

Mrs O’neill was responding to a leaked email between senior DUP and Sinn Fein aides that said Mrs Foster passed her a hard copy of a proposed agreement on 9 February, five days before her party’s Valentine’s Day walkout. The email exchange, published by news website Eamonnmallie.com, appears to counter the DUP’S 0 Michelle O’neill has responded to a leaked email insistence it had not agreed the framework of a deal with Sinn Fein that would have seen devolution return to Stormont. The party has been accused of getting cold feet in the face of an internal revolt from members angry about potential concessions to Sinn Fein on the vexed dispute over the Irish language. Senior DUP figures rubbished the claims. MP Gregory Campbell has claimed no draft deal existed and deputy leader Nigel Dodds said the suggestion Mrs Foster had passed a hard copy to Mrs O’neill was “news to me”. Mrs O’neill was asked about the claim after holding talks with EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier in Brussels.

“I can confirm Arlene Foster did hand me a hard copy of a document which was then emailed to Stephen Mcglade who works with me in the office,” she said.