Theresa May urged to call summit over NI deadlock

Prime Minister Theresa May must call an urgent summit to try to restore the Northern Ireland Executive or direct rule will be inevitable.

That is the warning from former Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Hain.

Talks are resuming at Stormont aimed at restoring the power-sharing executive, but the parties have just three weeks to resolve their differences.

Otherwise, the NI Secretary could call another election or seek legislation to suspend the institutions.

The election ended the unionist majority at Stormont, with Sinn Féin now just one seat behind the DUP.

The party leaders are also scheduled to have separate discussions with Northern Ireland Secretary James Brokenshire.

Mrs Foster said she was looking forward to meeting her MLAs despite reports of unease within the party after it lost ten seats in the election.

She denied reports that a third of her party’s newly returned members of the legislative assembly wanted her to step down.

She insisted it was a good election for the DUP as its vote increased across all the constituencies.

She also said she had no intention of standing down as leader.

Mrs Foster said her party had won the election, increasing its vote in every constituency, which was a “pretty good basis to continue as leader”.

The DUP leader will also hold further talks with Sinn Féin and have separate discussions with the secretary of state.

Mr Brokenshire met all the party leaders on Monday in a bid to restore the power-sharing executive.

The DUP went into the election 10 seats ahead of Sinn Féin and, while it remains the largest party with 28 seats, its lead has been cut to just one seat.

Under Northern Ireland’s power-sharing agreement, the government must be run by Irish nationalists and unionists together, with the largest party being invited to put forward a candidate for first minister.

Sinn Féin and the DUP now have three weeks to reach a deal and if a government cannot be formed within that time then, under law, another election can be called.

Ultimately, if no power-sharing government is formed, power could return to the UK Parliament at Westminster for the first time in a decade.

Source: BBC