Stormont minister Conor Murphy resigns from office on medical grounds – The Irish Times

Northern Ireland’s Chancellor of the Exchequer, Conor Murphy, resigns from his position for medical reasons.

Sinn Féin vice president Michelle O’Neill made the announcement on Wednesday night.

“Conor has been advised by his doctor to rest and will undergo further medical tests,” Mrs O’Neill said.

“My colleagues and I wish Conor a speedy and full recovery.

Ms O’Neill said former Communities Minister, South Belfast MLA Deirdre Hargey, would be nominated to speak on the Economy report “on an interim basis pending Conor’s return”.

Murphy was absent from the Assembly on Tuesday because he had been “advised to rest pending medical examinations.”

He was also unable to attend the Covid-19 inquiry, which is currently in Belfast, to give evidence on Wednesday as planned.

Murphy, one of Sinn Féin’s most experienced politicians in the North, is the party’s chief negotiator and has been a minister three times, most recently taking over as Chancellor of the Exchequer following the restoration of the Stormont institutions in February.

He was Minister of Finance at the time of the collapse of the Executive in 2022 and was previously Minister of Regional Development.

Originally from Camlough in South Armagh, he is married with two children and won his first election (for Newry and Morne District Council) more than 30 years ago.

Since 1998 he has represented Newry and Armagh as an MP and MLA.

In 1982 he was sentenced to five years in prison for membership in the IRA and possession of explosives.

Several politicians sent their best wishes to Murphy after O’Neill’s announcement on Wednesday.

Ulster Unionist leader Doug Beattie said he wished Mr Murphy well and “hoped he would recover soon”.

The opposition leader in Stormont, the SDLP’s Matthew O’Toole, sent the same wishes, saying Murphy was “absolutely right to prioritize his health and look forward to seeing him back at his desk and in the chamber when he is ready”.