Mr Beattie said, “Some of the revelations coming out of the COVID inquiry at these early stages are extraordinary and bizarre. Indeed, some of the commentary seems to suggest that a deliberate attempt to isolate and bully the Health Minister was taking shape. The suggestion is that the then Deputy First Minister – Michelle O’Neill – wanted the two big parties, the DUP and Sinn Fein, to take control of the situation. At the same time, some of their ministers refused to bring forward COVID regulations before the Assembly because it would be unpopular and, in some cases, refused to support necessary but unpopular regulations.

“Today I will be writing to the Head of the Civil Service – Jayne Brady – to discuss the revelation that one of her senior civil servants floated the idea that the Health Minister should be replaced by a Minister from one of the two big parties. The civil service should be non-party political, yet this idea clearly showed that this individual was more concerned about placating Sinn Fein and the DUP duopoly. This is brought into sharp focus because the individual who reacted to the Deputy First Minister's call for them to be in control is now the Permanent Secretary of the Department for Justice.

“My own reflections on this situation are clear. Thank goodness that Robin Swann was not bullied into leaving the post to allow a DUP/Sinn Fein Minister to take over given the clear attempt later during the pandemic to avoid responsibility by some parties. The total collapse of relationships between the two big parties following the Bobby Storey funeral would have had a detrimental effect on our fight against COVID and any attempt to keep people safe.”