Northern Ireland secretary Chris Bryant bans Drumcree parade

The Northern Ireland secretary, Chris Bryant, has announced he will ban the contentious Drumcree parade.

Bryant said it had not been possible to find accommodation between the Orange Order and the nationalist residents of the Garvaghy Road in Portadown. The standoff between the two sides has lasted almost two weeks.

The Parades Commission ruled two weeks ago that the march could pass along the Garvaghy Road with restrictions in place.

But the parade from Drumcree church into Portadown did not happen because of a large protest on the road.

Bryant told PA Media: “Everybody will have seen over the last two weeks that there’s been a major standoff and a difficult situation in Drumcree and Portadown. I’ve been trying to find a solution to that standoff.

“I’ve had both sides of the argument, both the Garvaghy Road residents and the Orange Order, in. We’ve been talking it through, trying to find a solution, and unfortunately we’ve not been able to do that.”

He added: “Earlier today, the chief constable of the PSNI (Police Service of Northern Ireland) got in touch with me and asked me to look at the original determination by the Parades Commission to see whether it should still stand, and I’ve looked at the changing situation in Portadown, the fact that it’s very difficult for that procession to proceed, and I’ve decided that it’s not in the public interest for it to proceed, and I’ve therefore banned the procession.”