Stormont power deal ‘close to agreement’

A deal to save powersharing at Stormont is achievable within the coming days, the Northern Ireland Secretary has said.

Karen Bradley said an agreement was by no means certain, but she expressed hope that resolution between Sinn Fein and Democratic Unionists could be secured in the near future.

However, Mrs Bradley declined to outline specific details on the ongoing political negotiations in Belfast as she updated the House of Commons, insisting she did not want to jeopardise a successful outcome. “An accommodation between the parties has not yet been reached, but there is no doubt as to the parties’ collective commitment towards the restoration of devolution,” she told MPS. “I firmly believe that an agreement in the coming days, while not certain, is achievable and this remains my focus.”

Northern Ireland has been without a functioning administration for more than a year after the last DUP/SINN Fein-led coalition imploded in a row over a botched green energy scheme.

That rift subsequently widened to take in longrunning disputes over culture, social issues and legacy.