Ministers to hold emergency talks with DUP and Sinn Fein TOMORROW in attempt to end Northern Ireland political deadlock over Brexit and avoid a Christmas election
- Chris Heaton-Harris will visit Belfast to see the leaders of Sinn Fein and the DUP
- Northern Ireland is facing a race against time to break the deadlock at Stormont
- DUP collapsed executive in ongoing dispute over post-Brexit protocol
The Northern Ireland Secretary will hold face-to-face meetings with Northern Irish political leaders today as he seeks a way to break through a political Brexit impasse.
Chris Heaton-Harris will visit Belfast tomorrow to see the leaders of Sinn Fein, the Democratic Unionist Party, Alliance and Ulster Unionist Party in a bid to avoid a Stormont election just before Christmas.
Northern Ireland is facing a race against time to break the deadlock at Stormont after ministers warned they will have to trigger an election this week.
The DUP has been refusing to take up the Deputy First Minister role due to the ongoing dispute over the post-Brexit protocol for the province.
Under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement, both sides of the sectarian divide must agree to participate for powersharing to function.
Mr Heaton-Harris had been expected announce a date for a poll last Friday – potentially December 15 – but held off to try to get an unlikely agreement.
However Downing Street said it is ‘not aware’ of any plans for an update over the coming days.
Asked if there will be an update from Mr Heaton-Harris with regard to the election, the PM’s official spokesman said: ‘I’m not aware of any plans for that during those visits. The rules are the date needs to be announced as soon as reasonably practicable. But I don’t have an update for you.’
Pressed on whether an election still has to go ahead even if an agreement is made in the coming days, he said: ‘Our sole focus is on the obligations and legislations placed on the UK and restoring stable, accountable and locally elected devolved government in Northern Ireland.’
Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris is set to meet Sinn Fein Stormont leader Michelle O’Neill, DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, Alliance leader Naomi Long and UUP leader Doug Beattie on Tuesday.
Sinn Fein’s Michelle O’Neill is set to become the First Minister if a power-sharing agreement can be resolved
DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson insisted last week it is the fault of the UK government that devolved government in Northern Ireland is not functioning.
The 24-week deadline for forming a functioning powersharing executive in Belfast following May’s election ran out at midnight early on Friday.
Once the deadline passed on Friday, the UK Government assumed a legal responsibility to call a fresh election within 12 weeks.
Mr Heaton-Harris insisted on Friday he still intended to call an election but failed to set a date, prompting Northern Ireland’s chief electoral officer, Virginia McVea, to apologise to election workers who are on standby to assist on the basis polling day will be December 15.
DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson insisted last week it is the fault of the UK government that devolved government in Northern Ireland is not functioning.
‘We’ve had six months in which to do something about the protocol, and during those six months we have had three prime ministers, we have had the Government changed often and we haven’t seen the progress that is needed,’ he told BBC Radio Ulster.
‘I think the Government would be within its rights to say, given that those six months have elapsed and progress hasn’t been made, that we need a further period to sort this out, get a solution on the protocol that restores Northern Ireland’s place within the UK internal market and that will see the institutions restored immediately.’
But Sinn Fein MLA Conor Murphy dismissed the notion that the DUP tactic of refusing to form an executive was exerting any pressure on the Westminster government to act over the protocol.
He told the BBC: ‘The chaos and the infighting that is going on within the Tory government means their focus is entirely on themselves, and if there is a negotiation with the EU, that will take place because the British government want it to take place not because the DUP are punishing the people of the north by preventing them having their own institutions.
‘The DUP action is harming only the people that they represent, and we all collectively represent, and is serving no purpose other than to do that.’
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