Deirdre Heenan: Double-jobbing rule change fiasco results in ‘Jeffreymandering’ disaster

A bungled attempt to hand the DUP an electoral advantage by rewriting parliamentary procedures has completely backfired

Jeffrey Donaldson has again demonstrated how out of step he is with local public and political opinion. Picture: Charles McQuillan/Getty

It would be difficult to imagine a more embarrassing end to the tawdry attempt to re-introduce double-jobbing for politicians in the North than the one we saw last week.

An amendment which was due to be debated in the British House of Lords on Wednesday would, if successful, have allowed MPs to retain their seats in Westminster while simultaneously sitting in the Northern Ireland Assembly.

In the face of extreme outrage, coupled with the prospect ...