SoS cancels US trip as talks enter 2nd week
James Brokenshire will no longer be meeting with President Trump.
The Secretary of State has cancelled a visit to America to concentrate on talks at Stormont.
James Brokenshire was due to meet President Donald Trump as part of the annual St Patrick's Day visit. However he has decided to pull out of the trip to focus on helping political parties strike a deal.
A senior UK government source told the Press Association that Mr Brokenshire had been due to fly to Washington on Wednesday for two days.
However, he has decided that the ongoing talks at Stormont are at a "critical stage'' and that is where his focus must be.
"He is just focused on getting the right result and getting an agreement by the 27th. The deadline is looming. He will have no other option by law but to call another election if there is no agreement by then,'' the source said.
Mr Brokenshire recently met the acting US ambassador to the UK Lew Lukens to discuss the situation at Stormont.
"The Secretary of State is encouraged by how seriously the Americans are taking this. He would love to go to Washington. Washington has always helped Northern Ireland. But now is not the right time and time is short,'' the source added.
Political parties are due to resume talks again on Monday in a bid to restore the powersharing institutions.
They have just over two weeks to come to an agreement or there could be another snap election. The time-frame for agreement is slim but this weeks celebrations for St Patrick's day will cause a bit of a headache.
For example The Irish Foreign Affairs Minister Charlie Flanagan will be in Belfast today, but he won't be staying long as he is due in Rome tomorrow. But perhaps he will reconsider and take a leaf out of James Brokenshire's book.
There is a long list of things on the agenda to be discussed in these talks, but so far the parties seem stuck on legacy issues.
If they aren't able to make progress soon then there won't be much time left for all the other issues before the 27th of March
Last week in a letter to all MPs Mr Brokenshire set out the consequences of the DUP and Sinn Fein failing to strike a deal.
"If no agreement is reached in the short window following the election, there would be a number of significant consequences.
"There would be no Executive, no real budget, no Programme for Government and risks to public services. Ultimately we would also be facing a second election with ongoing disruption and uncertainty for businesses and the people of Northern Ireland that would bring,'' he said in his letter.
However Mr Brokenshire added that he was "not contemplating any other outcome but a resumption of devolved government as soon as possible''.