SECRETARY of State Chris Heaton-Harris is today expected to confirm a date for a snap Stormont election following the failure to restore an executive ahead of last night's deadline.
Thursday December 15 has been earmarked as the most likely date.
Legislation passed by Westminster earlier this year means that if power-sharing was not restored within six months of May's assembly election then a poll must take place within 12 weeks.
Over recent days, Mr Heaton-Harris has consistently warned that he will not hesitate to call an election if there was no breakthrough in Stormont's nine-month impasse.
It is understood the secretary of state today plans to make good on his pledge.
I am extremely disappointed that the Executive has not reformed.
— Chris Heaton-Harris MP (@chhcalling) October 28, 2022
The people of Northern Ireland deserve a fully-functioning devolved government.
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Meanwhile, a British Cabinet minister said this morning that an election will “definitely happen” after the deadline to restore devolved government at Stormont was missed.
Environment minister Therese Coffey said “clearly” there was not “sufficient agreement” among Stormont parties to avoid a fresh election.
DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson this morning insisted it is the fault of the UK government that devolved government in Northern Ireland is not functioning.
Sir Jeffrey said the government could have extended the six-month period but have chosen not to.
“We’ve had six months in which to do something about the protocol, and during those six months we have had three prime ministers, we have had the government changed often and we haven’t seen the progress that is needed,” he told BBC Radio Ulster.
“I think the government would be within its rights to say given that those six months have elapsed and progress hasn’t been made that we need a further period to sort this out, get a solution on the protocol that restores Northern Ireland’s place within the UK internal market and that will see the institutions restored immediately.”
Sir Jeffrey also said the protocol is harming Northern Ireland’s ability to access medicines and equipment, contending that recently caused a three-week wait for life-saving cardiac surgery in a Belfast hospital.
“Those problems are real and need to be dealt with,” he said.
The DUP withdrew Paul Givan from the first minister's post in February over its concerns around the Northern Ireland Protocol and has refused to nominate a deputy first minister since May's poll saw the party superseded at Stormont by Sinn Féin.
In what was regarded as the final opportunity to restore the executive, MLAs yesterday returned to the assembly chamber after Sinn Féin successfully submitted a recall petition.
However, failure to get cross-community support for the election a new speaker meant the session was short-lived.
A fresh Assembly election will be a verdict on what has been happening for the last nine months, Sinn Fein MLA Conor Murphy has said this morning.
Mr Murphy said the DUP has had the opportunity to come into an Executive, and dismissed their stance that refusing to form an Executive is exerting pressure on the UK government to act over the Northern Ireland Protocol as “fanciful”.
“The rouse the DUP has been adopting, in terms of north/south arrangements for a year, in terms of the Executive and the Assembly since February and May, is clearly not working, and what we need to do is get back around the table and work for people who elected us,” he told BBC Radio Ulster.
“The chaos and the infighting that is going on within the Tory government means their focus is entirely on themselves, and if there is a negotiation with the EU, that will take place because the British government want it to take place not because the DUP are punishing the people of the north by preventing them having their own institutions.
“The DUP action is harming only the people that they represent and we all collectively represent and is serving no purpose other than to do that.”
He added: “If an election takes place on December 15 … that will be a verdict on what has been happening over the last six or nine months in terms of the DUP’s approach to all this, and we’re ready to fight that but there is no need for us to go down this road.”
'A sad day' - Bertie Ahern
Bertie Ahern has said it is a “sad day” for the people of Northern Ireland as they face into another election, which he said will not resolve the issues.
The former taoiseach and architect of the Good Friday Agreement said: “I think the Secretary of State (Chris Heaton-Harris) has talked himself into it for the last few weeks, saying that he has a legal obligation.
“Within a few hours, there will be an announcement that the election will be on 15th December.
“I think it’s a pity, I think it’s a sad day and feel sorry for people in the north because this won’t decide what’s in the protocol.
“The only thing that will decide the protocol are the negotiations that are necessary.”
He said the other issue is that there has been “no negotiations” between Brussels and London.
“The last meetings of substance were last October. There was a bit of a meeting for a half day in February.
“Talks started last week but no negotiations, there’s a big difference between talks and discussions and negotiations, and now they’ve thrown the north into an election.
“It doesn’t matter whether people vote black, white, yellow or pink in the election, it won’t change anything. The protocol is still the protocol and it isn’t up for discussion in the election.”
Bertie Ahern also said the UK Government needs to learn a bit more about the DUP and its stance on the Northern Ireland Protocol.
“There was no way the DUP were going to change,” Mr Ahern told RTE’s Today with Claire Byrne programme.
“They have a fixed position and until there’s some solution to what they call the UK internal market, then they’re not going to change their position.
“The only way that can be done is negotiations between the European Union and the UK Government.
“I think what will happen now, and I think it’s painful for people but terrible for people in Northern Ireland because having an election that solves nothing does nothing.
“The main issue that’s causing the breakdown is not even on the agenda. So, if they all voted 100% one way or the other, it doesn’t change a damn thing.
“I think what happens now is the election will be on the 15th, there’ll be all the rancour in between, hopefully it’s a peaceful election.
“Hopefully, people use their democratic vote for whatever individuals they like.
“On the other side of that, they’ll have a Christmas break and then maybe the British government might consider doing what they should have done a few years ago and get into serious negotiations, not discussions, and try to find a way forward.”
Speaking after meeting the secretary of state in London yesterday, SDLP leader Colum Eastwood said he stressed to Mr Heaton-Harris the "futility" of calling an election that would "waste millions of pounds without solving one single issue that is facing people in the north".
Alliance leader Naomi Long urged the secretary of state to introduce emergency legislation to give senior civil servants more power to run Stormont departments.
She said the bill should also cut MLA salaries if the Stormont stalemate continues.
Mrs Long said that a fresh election was not the solution to resolving the issues.
In recent days nationalists have warned that they will not accept direct rule from Westminster if power-sharing is not restored.
Tánaiste Leo Varadkar yesterday echoed Taoiseach Micheál Martin's earlier assertion that some form of joint authority will be necessary if Stormont remains moth-balled.
Mr Martin said yesterday that Dublin's consultative role on non-devolved matters would become greater if power-sharing is not restored.
Last night a British government spokesperson said a joint authority arrangement with Dublin is "not being considered".
"The UK government is absolutely clear that the consent principle governs the constitutional position of Northern Ireland," a statement from the Northern Ireland Office said.
"We will not countenance any arrangements that are inconsistent with that principle."
DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said unionists would not accept joint authority.
"I think the Irish government needs to hear this loud and clear, unionists will never accept joint authority, if joint authority is imposed upon us, the Good Friday Agreement is dishonoured completely and is not therefore a basis for us moving forward."
