The Northern Secretary stepped in on the Garvaghy Road standoff and officially banned the Orange Order from marching down the street.

After two weeks of protests and court petitions, the standoff between the residents of the Garvaghy Road and The Orange Order is over.

While attempts were being made to sort the issue out with a mediator between the two groups, the Northern Secretary Chris Bryant stepped in and made the decision for them.

He said to the crowds gathered on the Garvaghy Road: "I think it's important that we take this moment to say enough of this. This has got to come to an end.

"People deserve to live their lives in peace in Portadown and that's why I've banned the march."

Speaking on the news, The Belfast Telegraph's Alison Morris told The Pat Kenny Show that what the situation has done is highlight how a re-evaluation of the Parades Commission is needed.

She explained: "All of this shows that there needs to be at least a look at or a form of what goes on around the Parades Commission, those decisions, and then that legislation, which is the Public Processions Act.

"And people will remember that this all came around in 1998 at the backdrop of a lot of violence around Drumcree and that was when that legislation was put in place and the Parades Commission was formed.

"So remember what was happening in 1998 and that is what that legislation was designed to cover. So it's not really [the] circumstances we find ourselves in in 2026 and that seems to be part of the problem."

Questions have been asked about the timeline of the Parades Commission's decision, as there wasn't enough space given to allow mediation or to bring in an international mediator.

As Ms Morris shared, they announced their decision at 2pm on a Friday afternoon for a parade that was to take place on the Sunday, which resulted in the emergency judicial reviews that went on until the early hours of the morning on the Sunday.

"None of that sounds ideal, does it?" she continued. "If you're dealing with something as serious as this, all of that should have been done well and well in advance.

"Once the determination goes ahead, the parade couldn't go ahead because there was a protest, and therefore you understand the Orange Order's frustration at that."

One of the main issues is the ambiguous nature of the legislation, as nobody would say when that parade stopped being live.

The Orange Order was given tight regulations for the parade to go ahead, including a date and time limit, yet the attempts to march went on for two weeks.

Alison added: "Portadown is a very small town, as we know, and the people there live side by side.

"And once all that parade disappears in the next 24 hours, I think most have gone now, they do have to repair those relations."