Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald has described the British Government’s decision to exclude her from a meeting as a “bizarre carry on” and “very unsettling”. 

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly was in Belfast on Wednesday to discuss the renegotiation of the Northern Ireland Protocol with the province’s political parties. 

As leader of Sinn Féin, Ms McDonald had expected to attend the meeting but was surprised to learn that was not the case. 

“I couldn’t count for you, the number of times, the number of meetings that I have been in with the other party leaders, with Secretaries of State, with British Prime Ministers over many, many years,” she told Newstalk Breakfast. 

“So, this was really, really bizarre.” 

In a statement released after the meeting, Mr Cleverly said he would meet politicians from the Republic at a later date. 

"My meeting here this morning was to meet the elected representatives of the people of Northern Ireland,” he said. 

"I will of course be going to Ireland in the near future and I'll be meeting Irish politicians but I very much wanted to hear from the representatives of Northern Ireland."

It is essential that we find a solution to the Protocol that protects the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement.

Important and timely talks in Belfast this morning to hear how any negotiated settlement can deliver for the people of Northern Ireland. pic.twitter.com/wqRoTZcT6o

— James Cleverly🇬🇧 (@JamesCleverly) January 11, 2023

It was a statement that raised a number of eyebrows among nationalists politicians. 

“This was even more of this bizarre carry on,” she continued.  

“I think Mr Cleverly needs a geography lesson, a history lesson and a political grind fairly quickly to make a statement like that when clearly standing in Ireland.

“I don’t believe that they have a sufficient understanding or care for the need for respect, the need for inclusivity, the recognition of the fact that the Belfast where Mr Cleverly was is chockablock with Irish people and that in the course of the discussions to make real progress, we all know - irrespective of our political stripe - that we only achieve when we achieve together. 

“And it is furthermore very, very cheeky to say to the least for any Tory Government to tell any Irish political party who should lead them, who should not or who should attend any delegation in a meeting with them.” 

F2TM5P Northern Ireland Assembly and Government building in Stormont Estate in Belfast

Political leaders from both the United Kingdom and the European Union have all been making positive noises about the chance of a deal in the near future. 

Ms McDonald said, with that in mind, the decision to exclude her was particularly ill-judged. 

“Not alone was their decision bizarre, it was also very unsettling because we’re now in a very, very important period of time. 

“There has been some small but significant progress in respect of these issues around the protocol. 

“We have an important window to work together, to make progress, crucially to get the Executive in the North up and running. 

“And this is a time where we need maximum engagement, maximum cooperation - not this kind of petulant nonsense and divisiveness that played out yesterday.” 

The DUP are boycotting the Executive because of their unhappiness with the protocol; Ms McDonald, whose own party boycotted the Executive between 2017 and 2020, described their actions as “reprehensible” but said she believed a deal could be done. 

“As far as we in Sinn Féin are concerned and I, as the leader of Sinn Féin, am concerned, this will be sorted out.” 

Main image: Sinn Féin President Mary Lou McDonald. Image: Sam Boal/RollingNews