Stormont: new deadline set for Assembly restoration

A new deadline for resurrecting a powersharing executive at Stormont is set to be fixed for February 8.

It is understood the Government will introduce a short bill at Westminster tomorrow (Wednesday) to set the new date after the last one lapsed on January 18.

Under legislation governing the formation of a devolved administration in Belfast, the Government assumes a legal duty to call a snap assembly election once a deadline for forming a ministerial executive is passed.

However, in the face of a series of missed deadlines in the current powersharing impasse, the Government has repeatedly opted to pass fresh legislation to set new deadlines, rather than opting for an election.

Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton Harris is set to do so again on Wednesday, albeit with a relatively short extension this time.

The move suggests the Government remains hopeful a settlement can be reached within the next two weeks to enable power-sharing to return to Northern Ireland.

Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt said MPs will consider all stages of a "short Bill relating to the executive formation in Northern Ireland" on Wednesday.

Shadow Commons leader Lucy Powell said: "Labour shares the Government's desire to see an executive restored as soon as possible and we recognise that if extending the deadline for elections to be called is the best way to achieve that, which it seems to be, then we will of course fully support that."

Ms Powell asked when the Bill would be published ahead of the debate.

Ms Mordaunt said the Bill will be "handed in today and so published tomorrow", adding: "I recognise that is a short amount of time for the House, but it is a very short Bill and I think the House will be able to cope with that situation."

She added: "The Government remains firmly of the belief that a sitting Northern Ireland executive is best placed to act quickly and effectively to resolve issues for the people it serves and that is our aim."