Stormont: DUP leader says next few weeks are "vital"
Sinn Fein's John Finucane there should not be any further delay in restoring the Executive
DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said today (Monday) they were approaching a key time in any bid to restore the Stormont Executive.
He said that the next few weeks would be "vital" in terms of its negotiations with the UK government to address unionist concerns over post-Brexit trading arrangements.
He said his party has had "various proposals" put to it in recent weeks, but "not yet a comprehensive paper in terms of all of the issues and concerns that we have", adding they were continuing to engage with the Government."
Our Political Reporter also spoke to UUP leader Doug Beattie (see below)
Later, Sinn Fein MP John Finucane slammed the DUP's continued delay in returning to the Stormont Assembly as "unjustifiable".
Mr Finucane said every day was vital for people who are on hospital waiting lists, workers and families facing a brutal cost-of-living crisis and those who look to their political representatives to "honour the result of last year's election to form an Assembly and an Executive".
"That's what we are ready to do. We've been ready to do that since last May," he said.
"There shouldn't be any further delay for the Assembly and the Executive to be restored."