Councillor John Finlay criticised Arlene Foster

A DUP councillor has accused Arlene Foster of 'flouting the Lord's Day' by attending the Ulster GAA football final on a Sunday.

Ballymoney councillor John Finlay has penned a strongly worded letter to his party leader, expressing “deep sorrow and indignation” at Mrs Foster's attendance of the Fermanagh-Donegal clash in Clones, Co Monaghan.

The Causeway Coast and Glens representative described the DUP leader's defence of her decision, where she acknowledged that some people were uncomfortable with the gesture but that she is the leader of a political party and aspires to a shared society, as "dismissive and patronising".

"I wonder if you have any appreciation of the depth and extent of the hurt you have caused across the party membership and its support base,” Mr Finlay said.

He said it was "extremely upsetting" that Mrs Foster had not adhered to the party's traditional observance of the Christian sabbath because it was "politically expedient to do so".

“How you treat the Lord’s Day in your own personal life is a matter for you, but as leader of my party, you have no right to publicly flout it on the grounds that it is necessary to do so on the basis of promoting a shared society," the DUP councillor said.

Arguing that biblical standards are "absolutes and therefore non-negotiable", Mr Finlay said: "I commend the current leadership of our party for its stand on key areas such as abortion and same-sex marriage, and I believe that God will bless our continued adherence to biblical principles on these issues."