The DUP has been accused of “gambling” with the Stormont powersharing institutions after a move to block legislation around Irish-medium education.

Alliance Party deputy leader Eóin Tennyson said the unionist party had “weaponised children” as part of a “culture war”.

Relations between parties in the powersharing Executive have soured in the fallout from the Drumcree parading dispute, which has seen Sinn Féin vice president Michelle O’Neill being interviewed by police in relation to her participation in an allegedly unlawful protest on the Garvaghy Road in Portadown in September that was held to try to block an Orange Order parade from Drumcree Church proceeding down the predominantly nationalist road.

The row has had political consequences at Stormont, with DUP deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly having stopped joint engagements with Ms O’Neill.

On Monday, the DUP said it would use a petition of concern in an attempt to block legislation around Irish-medium education proposed by a Sinn Féin MLA.

Pat Sheehan has proposed a private member’s bill to require Stormont’s Department of Education to prepare a workforce plan for Irish-medium education.

The Bill is scheduled to go through its final stage at the Assembly on Tuesday.

The petition of concern forces a cross-community vote, and requires majority support from both unionist and nationalist MLAs to pass.

Other unionist parties have indicated they will support the petition.

Mr Tennyson said the DUP move was a “petty stunt intended to walk these institutions to the brink”.

He said: “My question this morning for (DUP leader) Gavin Robinson and for (Ulster Unionist leader) Jon Burrows is, is your identity so fragile that you are threatened by children being educated through the medium of Irish?

“This punishes no one except the children and young people in Irish-medium schools who have a shortage of teachers, of classroom assistants, and special educational needs support workers.

“And I would ask, what is unionism’s grand plan here?

“It is blatant sectarianism. It is wrong, and it does nothing other than add to the chaos and dysfunction in these institutions, which people outside this building are frankly sick and tired of.”

Mr Tennyson said it was appalling that children were being “weaponised in a culture war”.

He added: “I think, irrespective of your background, irrespective of whether you are unionist, nationalist, or you don’t fit into either of those boxes, you would agree that it is wrong to play politics with children’s education.

“What is it that is so threatening about the Department for Education planning to ensure children who learn through Irish can get special educational needs support?

“The DUP say they are about accountability and profound consequences, but the profound consequences that they are delivering are on the people that we represent.

“They are gambling with these institutions.”

On Monday DUP leader Mr Robinson said his party would use “mechanisms at our disposal” to thwart (Sinn Féin’s) agenda.