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First Minister Michelle O'Neill has said that the actions of Economy Minister Caoimhe Archibald in announcing that she had directed her department exclude Northern Ireland from any trade talks between the UK and Israel. In a Written Ministerial Statement published on Thursday, the Economy Minister announced that her department is now developing an Ethical Investment Framework based on the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. Under the new rules, companies seeking financial support will have to confirm that they are not producing weapons or components for countries accused of committing genocide. Dr Archibald also confirmed that the Department for the Economy “will not engage in the British Government’s trade talks with Israel while it continues to illegally occupy and impose apartheid on Palestine.” Over the weekend, a pre-action protocol letter was been issued by pro-union think tank Unionist Voice Policy Studies which is headed up by loyalist activist, Jamie Bryson . The group says that as international trade policy is not a devolved issue, Ms Archibald has no authority to act on the matter. This comes after the DUP launched a petition at Stormont to have the matter referred to the Executive. Under Stormont's Ministerial Code, ministers must bring issues that could be considered controversial to the Executive for collective decision-making rather than acting unilaterally. When Belfast Live asked the First Minister if she believed it was appropriate for the Minister to act unilaterally in this instance, she said: "Yes, I believe the minister is absolutely correct in making the decision. It's a policy decision that she has outlined in a direct response to the genocide that's happening in Palestine. "So I think it's wholly appropriate that she would make that call in terms of no trade with companies that are arming Israel. I think that's wholly appropriate." When pressed futher on the legal action and how Minister Archibald is the second minister in a matter of months to face legal action after taking a unilateral decision, Michelle O'Neill added: "I am very confident that the minister responsible took the decision based on her own advice from her own officials, I think it's just entirely appropriate that she would take it, make a policy decision in terms of her own rules. "Well, I mean it's for those that decide to go to the courts, instead of actually resolving things politically, it's for them to answer for why they're taking that approach and there may be a pattern in terms of those ministers that actually do decide to take that approach." For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our politics newsletter here.
