Nationalist and republican politicians have clashed over plans to devolve policing and justice powers to Northern Ireland.

Stormont ministers agreed a draft bill that brings the transfer of the powers closer.

But while unionists and Sinn Fein have regularly clashed on the issue, it was the SDLP that yesterday objected to the latest development.

The party's social development minister, Margaret Ritchie, said that they planned to step outside the normal power-sharing rules in appointing a new justice minister which would effectively bar any nationalist from securing the post.

Sinn Fein and the DUP have agreed to temporarily step outside the normal selection process to ensure a candidate agreeable to a majority of people is selected with the favourite being the cross-community Alliance Party.

“What I am surprised at is the position of (Deputy First Minister) Martin McGuinness because he has acquiesced to the position of the DUP by allowing that no nationalist will be eligible for this position and no nationalist in Northern Ireland will be the justice minister for this country,” Ms Ritchie said.

But Sinn Fein junior minister Gerry Kelly said the move was temporary and was a necessary compromise to secure the prize of bringing policing under the control of local politicians.

“What we want is an agreed minister in the interim to move that forward,” he said.

“That is what all this is about.

“Martin McGuinness is on record that we want a nationalist justice minister.”

When challenged on the SDLP claims, he said: “Do we want policing and justice transferred here or do we want the SDLP to sit whinging in the sidelines for the next five, 10, or 15 years?”