The Democratic Unionist Party's ruling committee is to meet on Thursday to discuss steps following the Drumcree parading dispute. Options include collapsing the Northern Ireland Executive as early as next week or declaring an immediate end to joint engagements with Sinn Féin's First Minister Michelle O'Neill.

DUP leader Gavin Robinson has rejected calls to collapse the executive. Speaking on the BBC's The View programme, he said the party reached a democratic decision on how to deal with the Drumcree fallout. He questioned whether it was necessary to punish everyone in Northern Ireland when those who broke the law should be punished.

Robinson added that all options were under consideration and remained on the table.

Tensions within the DUP have been heightened after Upper Bann MP Carla Lockhart stepped down from the party's officer board last week. Her move followed Robinson's refusal to remove Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly from office, a step that would force O'Neill from the joint position.

A second DUP assembly member, Maurice Bradley, has called for O'Neill's removal from office. Bradley said removing O'Neill would not require the assembly to collapse. He added that the attitude displayed by senior Sinn Féin representatives after the dispute had caused widespread anger and concern.

Bradley said no one is above the law, regardless of their political position. He said there cannot be one standard for ordinary citizens and another for those holding the highest offices in Northern Ireland.

He said Sinn Féin's conduct and subsequent attitude had damaged confidence in Northern Ireland's political institutions and undermined efforts to build good relations. Bradley added that he did not believe the public wanted another collapse of the assembly, with hospitals, schools, communities and public services facing enormous challenges.

Former MP Lord McCrea and Mid Ulster councillor Clement Cuthbertson have also backed Lockhart's position.

The dispute stems from a contentious Orange Order parade that was blocked from passing along the mainly nationalist Garvaghy Road in Portadown, County Armagh. Senior Sinn Féin politicians, including O'Neill, attended police interviews over their involvement in protests on the road. Last week, a court heard Police Service of Northern Ireland intelligence information that dissidents may have mounted gun attacks on police if officers had cleared a path for the parade.

Robinson said he was sorry to see Lockhart quit the officer board but that she remained a key part of the team.