Still no deal as Stormont talks end for night

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The talks at Stormont have once again been parked for the night. Credit: Presseye

Secretary of State James Brokenshire is expected to update Parliament on Wednesday about the ongoing political stalemate in Northern Ireland.

It comes as talks at Stormont broke for the night having again failed to reach a resolution.

It is understood the main parties will resume negotiations in the morning in a bid to break the deadlock and save the devolved institutions.

The UK and Irish governments are being represented at Stormont, by Mr Brokenshire and Irish Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney, in the hope of salvaging a deal.

The Secretary of State had extended the deadline once again and said he would reassess the situation on Tuesday night, but that does not appear to have been enough to break the deadlock.

Earlier, Sinn Féin said they were not prepared to accept a deal with the DUP at “any price”.

The party’s negotiator Conor Murphy insisted they would stand firm over the issue of rights for all citizens including language, legacy and gay marriage.

Mr Murphy also said that if Mr Brokenshire decided to legislate for a budget, then “this phase of the talks process is over”.

The Northern Ireland Executive collapsed in January and the region has been without a power-sharing government since then.