Foster offers to hold talks with Sinn Féin

Arlene Foster has offered to hold talks with Sinn Féin in a bid to avert an executive collapse.

Sinn Féin’s Martin McGuinness has indicated a willingness to meet Ms Foster to discuss the crisis, but his party has ruled out a substantive negotiation process ahead of an election.

Meanwhile the Irish Foreign Affairs Minister has arrived in Belfast as efforts to find a solution to the political impasse intensify. Charlie Flanagan is holding talks with the Secretary of State James Brokenshire.

Unless the republican party changes tack, Northern Ireland is destined to return to the polls, less than a year after the last Assembly election.

The reversal of a decision Communities Minister Paul Givan to cut an Irish language bursary has been seen by some as a DUP olive branch to Sinn Féin.

While the looming collapse of the ruling executive was triggered by the renewable heat incentive (RHI) affair - a green heating scandal that has left Stormont with a £490million bill - other disputes between the two main parties have been reignited by the furore.

Sinn Féin cited DUP "disrespect" towards the Irish language as one of the main reasons it had walked away.

Speaking to the press on Thursday, the Secretary of State said the high probability was that Northern Ireland is heading towards an election, but that all efforts should be made to see where there is common ground to try and avoid the outcome.

Alliance Party leader Naomi Long also claimed the DUP had approached a party colleague and asked them to join lobbying of Mr Brokenshire to postpone calling a snap election.