Edwin Poots will not guarantee Irish language law this term

DUP leader Edwin Poots has said he intends to support Irish language legislation, but not necessarily before the next assembly election.

Sinn Féin has suggested it may not support a new DUP first minister unless such legislation is approved by ministers before 10 July.

Arlene Foster is to resign as first minister later on Monday.

Sinn Féin’s Michelle O’Neill will lose her position as deputy first minister because the roles are a joint office.

Once Mrs Foster resigns, there will be a seven-day period for the approval of a new first minister and deputy first minister by Sinn Féin and the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP).

Her departure comes six weeks after she was overthrown as the leader of the DUP.

Mr Poots has said he will nominate his colleague Paul Givan to become the new first minister.

But speaking on the BBC’s Good Morning Ulster programme on Monday, Mr Poots said he was not sure whether the nomination would happen on Monday.

He said it would be up to the speaker to decide, but anticipated it would be within “the next couple of days”.

Mr Poots said conditions could not be attached to nominating a first and deputy first minister.

“Setting pre-conditions is not appropriate, it’s not respecting someone’s mandate, and we cannot be in a circumstance where we have pre-conditions set for the selection of our first minister. And I’m not setting pre-conditions to the selection of Sinn Fein’s deputy first minister,” he said.

Sinn Féin must nominate a candidate for deputy first minister or a first minister is unable to take office.

Mr Poots said he remained committed to the New Decade, New Approach agreement, which committed the parties to establishing an Office of Identity and Cultural Expression including provision for services in Irish and Ulster-Scots.

However, he said “time will tell” whether it would happen in the current assembly term, which is due to expire in April 2022.

Sinn Féin earlier accused the DUP of “acting in bad faith” and said it did not believe Mr Poots would deliver a commitment to implement Irish language legislation.

But the DUP said “no-one would forgive Sinn Féin for playing fast and loose with people’s lives”.

It is the outcome nobody wants but avoiding it will be a challenge

Sinn Féin and the DUP are heading for the trenches to battle it out over Irish language legislation again

History tells us such battles can easily end with a collapse of the institutions, putting us on the path for an election

Sinn Féin wants Irish language legislation approved by the executive before the summer recess on 10 July.

When asked if that will happen, the new DUP leader said “time will tell” and when pushed said “not necessarily”.

Without a definite “no”, it allows some political wriggle room

But Edwin Poots also knows if Sinn Féin refuse to nominate a deputy first minister and trigger a crisis leading to a collapse, there will be a price to pay for the party

It will now become a game of political poker and the stakes couldn’t be higher

Mrs Foster is expected to address the Northern Ireland Assembly on Monday afternoon before returning to the backbenches.

She has confirmed she will leave the DUP once her time as first minister has ended.

She served as first minister from January 2016 to January 2017 – when the assembly collapsed – and again from January 2020.

Her departure has prompted a series of resignations within the DUP, with several councillors and party members expressing their anger about how she was ousted.

On Sunday, a decorated Army veteran turned DUP councillor was the latest to announce he was resigning from the party.

Ryan McCready, 35, who sits on Derry City and Strabane District Council, said the new leadership’s outlook was “no longer compatible” with his own beliefs, citing the party’s treatment of Mrs Foster as a reason for his resignation.

“I understand that my decision may upset and offend some of you, but I must put principle above all else,” Mr McCready said in a statement on Monday.

Mrs Foster stood down as DUP leader after an internal party revolt, with at least 22 assembly members (MLAs) and four MPs signing a letter of no confidence in her.

Mr Poots has consistently played down talk that the party is split.

Last week he announced his ministerial team, but was criticised by two departing DUP ministers who said his selections did little to heal the division within the party.

Speaking last week, Mrs Foster said she was sad about the manner of her departure but was “looking forward” to new possibilities.