Delaying Stormont election to 2024 is 'legislating for further drift', says Sinn Féin President

• UTV Political Correspondent Vicki Hawthorne reports

Sinn Féin's President has described a decision by the secretary of state to delay a future Stormont election to January 2024 as "legislating for further drift".

Mary Lou McDonald made the comments after a political party round-table meeting in Belfast on Thursday.

Gordon Lyons of the DUP reiterated that certain tests needed to be met over the Protocol in order for his party to re-enter the power-sharing institutions.

Chris Heaton-Harris hosted Stormont party officials in Belfast to provide them with an update on current negotiations around the Protocol, the Northern Ireland Budget, a possible election date and the implementation of opt-out organ donation law.

The Conservative minister said it was "disappointing" legislation to extend the election deadline was required, adding that he is "aware that many people in Northern Ireland are not in favour of another Assembly election at this time".

The Northern Ireland Assembly collapsed in 2022 following the resignation of the DUP's first minister. The party withdrew from the executive due to its concerns over the Northern Ireland Protocol - a post-Brexit trade deal which has resulted in checks being carried out on some goods coming from GB to NI.

On Thursday morning, the Northern Ireland Secretary announced that he intends to progress legislation at Westminster which would extend the current election timeframe to January 2024.

Speaking to reporters after the round-table discussion, Mary Lou McDonald said: "The idea that the DUP, on a rolling basis, would prevent that could not possibly be acceptable to anybody who calls themselves a democrat."

"The Secretary of State himself expressed a level of frustration at the fact that there is no executive - he tells us that he wishes to see the institutions re-established, we are prepared to take him on his word," the Sinn Féin President added.

"I have described the decision to set the election deadline back to January as legislating for further drift, I think that's a real danger.

"I hope I'm wrong in that, and I hope that the positive noises that we have been hearing in recent times actually amount now to a result."

The DUP's Gordon Lyons said his party wanted to see issues over the protocol resolved.

"Ultimately what we want to see sorted out is the protocol, get it resolved, get it resolved in accordance to the seven tests that we've set out which allow us to form that stable executive to deal with the issues that we're facing," he explained.

"We're hearing lots of good things from the negotiations, but ultimately we need more than good words.

He added: "We need actions that deliver on what we need to see so we can have, in place, a settlement and agreement that will endure and will work for the people of Northern Ireland."

SDLP MP Claire Hanna said Mr Heaton-Harris had confirmed that Northern Ireland's economic future would include access to UK and EU markets.

"On the economy we were pleased to get confirmation from the Secretary of State that he is clear that part of our economic future is dual market access and ensuring that is protected," she told reporters.

"We all know what that means in terms of some of the red lines that people have.

"We have advocated from the start decoupling the executive formation and the EU-UK trade deal."

Ulster Unionist Leader Doug Beattie described the round-table meeting as "interesting and at times a little bit tetchy, particularly when we spoke about the Budget".

"The reality is we still do not have all the information that we require in order to give positive ideas for a budget for 2023-24," he added.

Meanwhile Alliance Leader Naomi Long said the secretary of state was "very clear" with politicians during their meeting when it came to the implementation of opt-out organ donation law.

It was passed by MLAs last year, but the secondary legislation required to implement it cannot be approved at Stormont due to the political stalemate.

Mrs Long said the secretary of state outlined that "the quickest route to resolve the issue of the organ donations bill is to have an assembly reformed, with or without an executive.

"The assembly can then approve the regulations which have been put before the assembly and allow the organ donation bill to be active."

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