Adams insists Stormont deal still alive despite pulling plug

GERRY Adams still insists that a deal can be reached with the DUP to restore powersharing at Stormont.

He said that “some progress” was made with Arlene Foster’s (inset) party before Sinn Féin decided to pull the plug on the latest phase of talks aimed at ending the political deadlock.

Mr Adams said there had been no point in continuing with the “ongoing verbal table tennis” with the DUP.

He was speaking ahead of a meeting with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar last night to discuss the political crisis in Northern Ireland.

But he brushed aside a question on whether he’d stay on as leader until the Northern Executive is up and running.

He told reporters they’d be the “first to know” his intentions, alongside the delegates at the Sinn Féin Ard Fheis this weekend.

He also refused to give his views on

Sinn Féin

TD Peadar Tóibín’s criticism of the Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment.

“We’ve already dealt with that and it’s not a question which I intend to talk about this evening,” he said.

On Monday, a budget was brought forward at Westminster for Northern Ireland, leaving the future of devolution in a new phase of uncertainty. UK Northern Ireland Secretary James Brokenshire moved the bill in the House of Commons, telling MPs he was “reluctant” to do it but the region would soon run out of funds amid the political impasse.

Mr Adams said Sinn Féin wanted the Stormont institutions back in place but it “has to be on the basis on which they were first established 20 years ago and under Martin McGuinness and Ian Paisley’s leadership 10 years ago”.

“The focus of the meeting (with the Taoiseach) is to ask (him) to be very firm with the British prime minister. She has a pact with the DUP”, he said.