​DUP accuse Alliance MLA of 'wild, baseless accusations' over claim party was trying to segregate classrooms

​The row between the parties began last week, when education minister Paul Givan turned down two schools which were seeking integrated status, because the number of Catholic pupils in attendance was only three percent.

On Saturday, while referencing another issue, Mr Honeyford posted on social media platform X saying that “earlier in the week the DUP worked to stop our kids sitting in the same classroom”.

Responding to his comments, DUP MLA David Brooks said: “In schools right across Northern Ireland, we already see classrooms shared by pupils from all backgrounds, learning together and forming friendships, and this is as it should be.

“The Alliance Party’s own legislation on integrated education constrained the Minister’s decisions. No reasonable person would believe that a school, like Bangor Academy. where only three per cent of pupils are Catholic, is an integrated school.

“David Honeyford has a history of making wild, baseless accusations on social media. This is the same David Honeyford who once claimed that Unionists were bred to hate Catholics. In this instance, Mr. Honeyford should direct his criticism at the colleagues who drafted the law.”

David Honeyford apologised and stood down as a member of the Alliance Party’s ruling executive in 2017 after he claimed on Twitter that “unionists have been bred to hate Catholics”.

Responding to a tweet by the political commentator Alex Kane – in which he had claimed that anger towards the DUP in the wake of the RHI scandal seemed to be dissipating ahead of the Assembly election that year – Mr Honeyford replied: “Tend to agree, unfortunately unionists have been bred to hate Catholics more than corruption. Pathetic really.”

Mr Honeyford apologised “without reservation” for any offence caused by his remarks.

The Alliance Party were contacted for comment but had not responded at time of going to print.