SINN Féin First Minister designate, Michelle O'Neill has called for a "change in attitude" form London after the election of Liz Truss as the new Conservative Party leader.

Speaking ahead of Ms Truss becoming Prime Minister, Ms O'Neill told the press that there needs to be a "change of tack, a change of approach" from Downing Street to tackle the cost of living crisis.

Ms O'Neill told RTÉ Radio 1 that she has written to the new Prime Minister to request a meeting at the earliest opportunity.

"We are now four months since our Assembly election in the North and the DUP are still blocking the formation of a government. That is just madness at a time when people are struggling with the cost of living, to put food on the table and to heat their homes," she said.

"My priority and the case that I would put to Liz Truss is that she has an opportunity as the incoming Prime Minister to change policy, to change tack and to work to deliver political stability here in the North to start to actually put money in people's pockets to deal with the cost of living crisis. 

"She has a small window ahead of her in terms of what she intends to do. All of this is speculation at this point but for my part, my priority that I would put to her is that we need the restoration of the Assembly and the Executive and that there will be no more pandering to the DUP."

Ms Truss defeated former Chancellor Rishi Sunak in the poll of Tory members with 81,326 votes to 60,399 and will take up the post of Prime Minister tomorrow.

Meanwhile, SDLP leader Colm Eastwood has said that the new Prime Minister must bring forward an emergency budget to tackle the cost of living crisis.

Speaking ahead of the announcement, Mr Eastwood said that any such budget must include additional windfall taxes on large energy companies continuing to make enormous profits as a result of the energy crisis and the war in Ukraine.

“The Conservative Party has spent the entire summer demonstrating how unfit they are to hold high office during the real emergency facing working families and vulnerable households," he said.

"The first act of the next British Prime Minister must be to introduce an emergency budget to address the pressure on people and families across Northern Ireland."

Colm Eastwood said that over the last few months, the SDLP has been engaging with statutory agencies, charities and businesses to determine the interventions needed to protect people ahead of an incredibly difficult winter.

"The scale of the crisis we’re facing should not be underestimated – without immediate financial support lives and livelihoods will be placed at risk," he continued. 

“The next British Government must give an early commitment to further address the obscene profiteering by large energy companies as a result of the crisis by introducing additional windfall taxes to fund new direct support schemes.

"Without an Executive and without action from ‘caretaker’ Ministers, the situation facing people across the North is particularly acute and must be addressed urgently.”

These sentiments were echoed by Alliance party leader Naomi Long who has said that reforming the institutions to allow MLAs to return to Stormont must be a priority for Liz Truss.

“Unfortunately, it appears the DUP has no intention of allowing a government to be formed and getting people the help they need, with the other option of an election likely to end in anything other than a similar outcome to May, when people already had their say, meaning an expensive and pointless distraction from dealing with the real issues," she said.

“Under the current circumstances, the people of Northern Ireland are facing a long, hard winter without a government taking decisions to help them. Services are struggling, businesses are dealing with rising bills and people are worried about heating their homes and feeding their families.

“Reform of the institutions to allow them to return will help. The case is indisputable and uncontroversial, restoring public confidence, while not altering the fundamental principles of the Good Friday Agreement. We need to help people, not further punish them.”

Elsewhere, the UUP's Doug Beattie has said that the new PM must act to deal with the protocol to allow Stormont to return.

In a statement, he said: "The new Prime Minister will have a bulging in-tray, but first and foremost the country urgently needs stability. We want to see a strong Government which acts swiftly in the best interests of all its people in all parts of the United Kingdom.

“That means bringing forward tangible plans to address the cost of living crisis and moving quickly to deal with the Northern Ireland Protocol."