THE DUP is still considering tabling an assembly motion aimed at excluding Sinn Féin from the Stormont executive.
Frustrated by David Cameron's failure to take decisive action against republicans over Provisional IRA links to last month's killing of Kevin McGuigan in Belfast's Short Strand, Peter Robinson's party has promised "unilateral action" in an effort to marginalise Sinn Féin.
Downing Street has said the British prime minister recognised the gravity of the situation at Stormont but rather than moving to exclude Sinn Féin as the DUP had hoped, he has asked Secretary of State Theresa Villiers to call a fresh round of talks with the Stormont parties.
The latest round of meetings between the parties and representatives of the two governments is expected to continue today.
Yesterday saw Sinn Féin meet Mrs Villiers, while the SDLP was in Dublin for discussions with the Republic's government.
Meanwhile, unionist in-fighting continued in earnest, with Arlene Foster claiming her former colleagues in the Ulster Unionist Party did not want to see any sanctions imposed on Sinn Féin over the McGuigan killing.
Ulster Unionist Regional Development Minister Danny Kennedy resigned from the executive over the August 12 murder, which the chief constable has linked to the IRA. However, on Wednesday the party helped block a DUP move to adjourn the assembly's restart for four weeks.
Mrs Foster, who defected to the DUP in 2004, said the UUP's attitude to Sinn Féin in the present crisis had echoes of the party's actions in the years following the Good Friday Agreement.
"In the years after 1998 that vision was hallmarked by the UUP steadfastly refusing to take action against Sinn Féin despite continued IRA activity," she said.
"In 2015 Mike Nesbitt’s party again chose to join forces with Sinn Féin to ensure it’s business as usual at Stormont next week."
The DUP has warned that Stormont will no longer operate on a 'business as usual' basis because of the McGuigan killing.
The finance minister said yesterday that when the assembly returns from its summer recess next Monday it would "certainly be very different".
It is not clear what the party's plans are but it has not ruled out tabling a motion to exclude Sinn Féin from the executive, even though such a move is likely to fail due to a lack of cross-community support.
Jim Allister said the latest crisis vindicated the TUV's stance.
"Some have tried to tell the unionist electorate that Sinn Féin are committed to democracy and the rule of law yet there are a number of undeniable facts arising from the murder of Mr McGuigan," he said.
The TUV leader said the peace process had been exposed for what it was – "the appeasement of armed republicanism in case they go back to the bad old days".
