SINN FEIN has proposed a huge shake-up in the power-sharing arrangements at Stormont.

Among the proposals published on Monday, the republican party said it was time to end “vetoes” within the arrangements by changing how the first and deputy first ministers can take up their roles.

Sinn Fein has long accused the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) of blocking progress on key policies.

First Minister Michelle O’Neill said her party’s plans aimed to removed the “ever-present threat of collapse” of the Northern Ireland Assembly and to ensure stability in the future.

At present, if the largest party within nationalism or unionism in Northern Ireland refuses to nominate a first and deputy first minister, an executive cannot be formed.

Sinn Fein says that, in future, if either of those parties chooses not to nominate, the opportunity should pass to other parties.

DUP leader Gavin Robinson said he wanted to see “reform of the heart” by some members of the assembly.

“The structures, the procedures, the institutions don’t matter if someone is coming at things with the wrong approach,” he claimed.