Ian Paisley Jnr has received a rap in the Assembly from Speaker and DUP colleague William Hay.

Mr Hay told MLAs that he took a “dim view” of having his remarks from a private conversation inaccurately reported to the House by Mr Paisley Jnr.

And the Speaker said he would not allow members “to try to put words in my mouth”.

The ticking-off followed friction between Mr Paisley Jnr and fellow North Antrim MLA Declan O’Loan of the SDLP.

They had accused each other of using “unparliamentary language” in recent days and had separately spoken to the Speaker in private.

Mr Paisley Jnr subsequently told the Assembly he had received “a verbal assurance” from the Speaker that the words he had used were “perfectly correct”.

Later in the Assembly sitting Mr Hay challenged the remarks attributed to him.

“I wish to make it clear that those remarks were inaccurate. I take a very dim view of Mr Paisley Jnr’s action,” he said.

Mr Hay said he encouraged members to come and see him on points of order, and regarded such talks as confidential. Saying he would respond on the unparliamentary language issue in his own time, he said: “I will not allow any other member of the House to try to put words in my mouth.“

The Speaker later told MLAs: “I have spoken to the member concerned in private and the member has apologised to me.”