Over 1,000 days since its collapse, Arlene Foster has agreed to seek a recall of the Northern Ireland Assembly before Monday, October 21, the date in which a number of laws are due to be passed through Westminster.

In response to Baroness Nuala O’Loan’s call for the Secretary of State Julian Smith to recall the Northern Ireland Assembly before Monday, October 21, the Democratic Unionist Party Leader has stated that she “supports this call”.

Mrs. Foster said: “Our Assembly team met on Monday and agreed to seek a recall of the Assembly.”

She continued: “Our MLAs will return to the Chamber without pre-condition. There are serious matters emanating from the NI (Executive Formation etc) Act 2019 which should be decisions made in Stormont.”

In her statement, Mrs. Foster urged other MLAs who oppose the “extreme liberalisation of our abortion law”, to step outside any party shackles and join her and her party in recalling the Assembly.

“It’s time to get Northern Ireland moving again,” Mrs. Foster concluded.

Calling Mrs. Foster’s statement in support of the recall of the Northern Ireland Assembly a “pointless political stunt”.

A spokesman for Sinn Fein stated: “Arlene Foster’s ‘proposal’ to recall the Assembly on Monday is a pointless political stunt, which has literally no impact unless its business is to appoint an Executive who does have the power to effect legal change.”

“That will clearly not be the case unless resolute action to guarantee human rights and equality in law is negotiated and agreed by the DUP,” he added.

The Northern Ireland Assembly collapsed in January 2017 due to policy disagreements between the DUP and Sinn Fein and following the resignation of the late Martin McGuinness, former Deputy First Minister of the Executive and Sinn Fein member.