Talks over new executive in Northern Ireland collapse

Stormont - photo credit: Press Association

The deadline for forming a new executive in Northern Ireland is expected to pass without a resolution, after Sinn Féin announced it would not nominate a deputy first minister.

The party's leader in the province Michelle O'Neill said talks to renew a power-sharing agreement with the DUP had come to the “end of the road”, meaning another election or even a period of direct rule from Westminster could lie ahead.

Relations between the governing parties broke down in January, following nearly ten years of continual government, following a controversial renewable heating scheme.

DUP leader Arlene Foster said “there was little to suggest that Sinn Fein want to secure agreement”, but that her party “stands ready to continue to discuss how we can secure new arrangements for Northern Ireland”.

RELATED CONTENT

What chance the local government elections will be about local government?

Making the numbers add up: interview with Lady Susan Rice of the Scottish Fiscal Commission

The parties have until 4pm today to resolve outstanding issues, with failure to do so meaning a third election in a year could be called, just weeks after the last.

The last vote ended the unionist majority among parties for the first time in Northern Ireland, with republicans Sinn Féin trailing their major unionist rivals in the DUP by one seat.

Yesterday, Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams, who sits in the Republic of Ireland’s parliament, said: "We don't have the terms now to go forward and nominate for a speaker as Michelle [O'Neill] has pointed out, or for a first, or a deputy first, minister.

"That's today. She also said, and I endorse this absolutely, that we do believe that we will have the conditions in the time ahead, because we want to be in the institutions."

He added: "Will we be back, will we get the institutions in place? Yes."

Northern Ireland Secretary James Brokenshire said that the people of Northern Ireland had voted overwhelmingly for devolved power sharing government.

"Even at this stage I urge political parties to agree to work to form an executive and provide people here with the strong and stable devolved government that they want," he added.