Stormont

A major trade union has said it is prepared to bring Northern Ireland to a "standstill" to put pressure on Westminster and Stormont over planned changes to welfare payments.

Speaking at a protest against the changes outside the Northern Ireland Office in Belfast, he said unions were prepared to bring Northern Ireland to a "standstill" if that was what it took to get Stormont to introduce mitigations to the new system.

"We're going to fight to defend the welfare state...we do want to get the message across to Stormont - either they put pressure on central government and get money released or they prepare a package of mitigations so as ordinary people aren't crushed under the weight of these cuts."

The benefits system is devolved in Northern Ireland but in practice the Stormont administration mostly copies what is happening in England and Wales.

Stormont Communities Minister Gordon Lyons, of the Democratic Unionist Party, previously said the Northern Ireland Executive did not have the resources to mitigate Labour's plans.