Simon Coveney said employers will want to avoid large-scale redundancies because of the effects of the sweeping 20 per cent US tariffs.

Danny McCoy said US president Donald Trump has let ‘genie is out of the bottle’ by ‘starting something that he might not be able to control’.

First Minister Michelle O’Neill said ministers ‘are unequivocally collective in our determination to say no to racism’.

The Stormont Executive will meet early on Thursday morning ahead of the recall of the Assembly at noon.

A new piece of legislation could effectively put a "gagging order" on members of the Defence Forces, and prevent them from taking part in civic society, an employment law solicitor has warned