NI talks process: A crucial 24 hours for Stormont
Our political correspondent Jordan Moates looks at what needs to happen to secure a power-sharing deal at Stormont before the deadline.
There are still significant gaps between the DUP and Sinn Fein in the talks at Stormont, according to the Irish Government.
Parties are said to be in a critical phase of negotiations as the latest deadline of June 29th approaches.
These power-sharing negotiations have been ongoing now for around four months give or take a few weeks for elections.
It's hard to see where progress has been made as some days parties are positive other days they are quite downbeat.
But the most realistic asseessment has come from the Irish Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney. On Monday he said:
"A lot of the talk to date has really been repeating negotiating positions, as opposed to moving ground which is what needs to happen. If we are going to get a deal here then the DUP and Sinn Fein need to be willing to move to accommodate each other's positions, without fundamentally undermining their own - that's what political compromise is all about."
Now that the 'confidence and supply' deal between the DUP and the Tories is out of the way the reality of Thursday's deadline is starting to hit home. But an agreement needs to be reached well before then because that's the point when the nominations need to take place in the Assembly.
Mr Coveney says in reality that means a deal by this evening:
"If not, then we start to run out of time because parties have to go back and check with their support bases, or their executives, or whatever approval processes they need to be able to sign up for a full deal and we need to leave some time for that."
Intensive discussions will take place today and probably late into this evening.
Yesterday Sinn Fein's Gerry Adams said it was always better to have a ministerial Executive in place.
"The only fair way to get whatever resources come to this place, the only forum or the only decision-making body that can do it in a fair way is the Executive.''
Nationalist SDLP leader Colum Eastwood concurred.
"I would like an inclusive Executive that represents all of the people of Northern Ireland to be making sure that money is spent properly and for all of our benefit, not that it is being spent by a Tory party who seem to be under the thumb of the DUP.
"I think that would be a very dangerous place for all of us.''
Sinn Fein leader at Stormont Michelle O'Neill warned time is running out to reach an accord on restoring institutions which foundered earlier this year over the DUP's handling of a botched green energy scheme.
Ulster Unionist leader Robin Swann said NHS waiting lists were spiralling out of control and schools did not know whether they had a budget for next year because of financial uncertainty.
He added: "Sinn Fein has the blame to carry if this actually does not deliver for the people of Northern Ireland.''
Stephen Farry, a senior member of the cross-community Alliance Party, said the work necessary to clinch agreement could be done over the next two days.
"If we simply leave this process on Thursday with another deadline, I think these talks will have to be viewed as being a failure and most people will see the situation as being quite farcical.'
The deal has to be done by Thursday, as set out in legislation at Westminster.
If one is not reached, then Northern Ireland Secretary James Brokenshire must step in and could call another Assembly election within a period