ELECTION OVER..NOW SORT OUT STORMONT

Sinn Fein's O'Neill calls for British & Irish govt council to meet up over stalemate

- JONATHAN MCCAMBRIDGE

SINN Fein vice president Michelle O'Neill has called on the British and Irish governments to deliver a plan to restore the Stormont powersharing institutions.

It came as her party delivered a stunning success in the council elections, becoming the largest party in local government in Northern Ireland for the first time.

Ms O'Neill said there now needed to be an urgent meeting of the BritishIrish Intergovernmental Conference to plot a route to restore the Assembly.

DUP MLA Jonathan Buckley said voters had endorsed his party's position of keeping the powersharing institutions down until concerns about the Protocol are addressed.

Following a lengthy count process stretching into yesterday across 11 council areas, Sinn Fein emerged with 144 seats, an increase of 39 from the last council election in 2019.