Alliance deputy leader Stephen Farry has accused Boris Johnson’s government and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss of playing dirty politics amid the protocol deadlock. Northern Ireland plunged into a political crisis after the DUP refused to appoint a Speaker of the House.

Unionists have said they will not name a speaker until their concerns over the Northern Ireland protocol have been resolved. By law, the Northern Irish government cannot function without a president.

Speaking on LBC, Mr Farry said: “I’m sorry to say this, but Liz Truss and her colleagues in government are terribly misinformed about Northern Ireland and very out of touch with it.

“Well, they’re pandering to the DUP narrative and they’re also playing into the internal politics of the Tory parties.

“They also bow to the ERG.”

While the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) has urged the government to review the protocol, the European Research Group (ERG) – a research support group for Eurosceptic Conservatives – has demanded that it be scrapped.

With Liz Truss’ tough stance on the EU, the foreign secretary is tapping into the frustrations of both groups, Mr Farry said. He added that Truss was acting this way for his own political advantage, as rumors swirled around a possible Conservative leadership race.

“We are seeing people applying for positions with a view to a future Conservative leadership race.

“And Northern Ireland is the pawn in all of this.”

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“There are already difficulties in terms of trade in the UK as a whole and in the European Union,” Mr Farry continued.

“So it’s utter madness to go that route, especially when it’s not really wanted here in Northern Ireland.”

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will travel to Northern Ireland on Monday to try to resolve the political crisis. DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has already warned Boris Johnson that he must ‘outline what he intends to do’ about the Northern Ireland protocol.