MLAs in Stormont have voted in favour of a motion of no confidence in the First Minister, Arlene Foster, calling on the DUP leader to step aside over the so-called "cash for ash" scandal.

But despite that, the motion has failed, because under Stormont rules it needed the support of a majority of both Unionist and Nationalist members - and it failed on the Unionist count.

39 out of 75 MLAs voted in favour, with unanimous support among the 'Nationalist' and 'other' delegations. 

But only 12 out of 51 Unionist MLAs voted in favour - effectively meaning that Foster's own party, the DUP, was able to veto her removal.

Sinn Féin abstained on the motion and most if its members steered clear of the day's business, after a major dispute which saw TWO mass walk-outs earlier in the day.

Under the Good Friday Agreement, the First Minister has to represent both herself and the Deputy First Minister in any official statements.

However, as Foster prepared to deliver a statement in the chamber, Martin McGuinness and his Sinn Féin colleagues says he did not support Foster's statement.

That led to sustained interruptions as other opposition MLAs demanded to know whether Foster still had the right to speak in her capacity as First Minister.

In protest, most opposition MLAs then walked out as Foster eventually began speaking - leaving her to addressing an almost entirely empty house about her handling of the Renewable Heat Initiative scandal.

She said the opposition parties were trying to convict her without considering the evidence first: