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New deadline set in powersharing talks after negotiations stall

Northern Ireland's powersharing executive collapsed in January
Northern Ireland's powersharing executive collapsed in January Northern Ireland's powersharing executive collapsed in January

POWERSHARING talks between the DUP and Sinn Féin have stalled, secretary of state James Brokenshire said yesterday, forcing him to set a new deadline for a deal.

Mr Brokenshire said parties would now have to reach an agreement by October 30 in order for Westminster to have time to prepare to set a budget the following week.

He said talks between the parties had made progress but had broken down last week over culture and language issues.

"A breakthrough has not been reached," he told the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee at Westminster.

"Whilst if I had given evidence to this committee last week, I might have indicated some momentum, some more positive progress, that momentum stalled at the end of last week."

He added: "The prospects do not look positive at this time".

Northern Ireland's powersharing executive collapsed in January, when Sinn Féin pulled out of government with their DUP counterparts in protest at how the latter had handled allegations of mismanaging a renewable energy scheme.

Since then, a number of talks processes have been entered into by the parties aimed at reaching a deal to return to government, but without success.

Sinn Féin leader in Northern Ireland, Michelle O'Neill, said her party would not return to powersharing without an agreed Irish Language Act, while DUP leader Arlene Foster rejected the proposal, instead suggesting a "cross community" bill with provisions for Irish and Ulster Scots.

Mr Brokenshire also said yesterday he was considering new laws to dock or stop MLAs' salaries.

An MLA is on £49,500 a year after they got a £500 pay rise in April - three months after the executive collapsed.

Mr Brokenshire said with no Stormont government for 10 months he believed there was a "consensus even among the politicians in Northern Ireland, the MLAs themselves, that this can't carry on".

"They acknowledge that for them to be paid at the rate that they are, not being able to do the job that they do, is simply unsustainable," he said.

He added that in order for politicians' pay to be stopped, a law would need to be passed at Westminster.