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<\/picture><\/span>Image source, <\/span>Getty Images<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\nBy Ross McKee & Iain McDowell<\/p>\n
BBC News NI<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
There will not be a Stormont assembly election before Christmas, the Northern Ireland secretary has confirmed.<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Chris Heaton-Harris had said he would call another poll after the deadline to restore power-sharing passed last week. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The law requires an election within 12 weeks of that 28 October deadline but it will not happen next month.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Devolved government has not functioned since February, with the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) blocking the formation of the ruling executive.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The party has taken that stance in its protest against the post-Brexit trading arrangement known as the Northern Ireland Protocol.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n It had been expected that a poll could be held on 15 December and electoral staff had been preparing for that date.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n But early on Friday morning Mr Heaton-Harris said no election would “take place in December or ahead of the festive season”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n He said that since the 28 October deadline he had listened to people’s “sincere concerns about the impact and cost of an election at this time”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n “Next week I will make a statement in Parliament to lay out my next steps,” he added.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Chris Heaton-Harris has a legal duty to call an election in a bid to resolve the Stormont crisis<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n “My objective, what the people of Northern Ireland deserve, is the restoration of a strong devolved government.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n “My duty is to create the right environment for the parties in Northern Ireland to work together to restore the devolved institutions and deliver on crucial issues impacting Northern Ireland’s people.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n “I do not take this duty lightly, nor do I overlook the very real concerns people have around their cost of living.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n His comments come two days after Northern Ireland Office Minister Steve Baker said a date for another Stormont election would be confirmed soon.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n You can almost feel the collective sigh of relief.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The Northern Ireland secretary’s decision to scrap his December election plan is an early Christmas present for the political parties.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n They dreaded the prospect of going to the polls 10 days before Christmas in an election that was only ever going to deepen the political crisis.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n But the U-turn by Chris Heaton-Harris has damaged his creditability and raised questions about how the issue was managed by the Northern Ireland Office.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Northern Ireland’s chief electoral officer Virginia McVea said she had been given “no direction” to plan for a post-Christmas election in January.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Her staff had been contingency planning for an election on 15 December but that has been “stood down”, she said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The latest that an election could take place within the 12-week period set by Westminster is 19 January but that would require a campaign over Christmas.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Instead Mr Heaton-Harris may have to delay the new deadline by passing legislation at Westminster.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n That meant Michelle O’Neill from Sinn F\u00e9in was entitled to the role of first minister.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Michelle O’Neill says there is “no clarity or certainty” from Chris Heaton-Harris about what will happen next<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n The DUP was the second-biggest party but it refused to nominate a deputy first minister, meaning a governing executive for Northern Ireland could not be formed.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The protocol keeps Northern Ireland aligned with some EU trade rules to ensure that goods can move freely across the Irish land border after Brexit.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Unionist parties argue that it has undermined Northern Ireland’s place within the UK by effectively creating a trade border with England, Scotland and Wales.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The UK wants a fundamental rewrite of the treaty while the EU believes sufficient “flexibilities” can be found within the existing text.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Michelle O’Neill, the Sinn F\u00e9in vice-president, accused the Northern Ireland secretary of “dithering and indecision” over not calling an election.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n His announcement was a “continuation of the Tory chaos in London that is now paralysing our politics”, she added.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n “The British government and the DUP are leaving us in a prolonged state of political limbo with no assembly, executive or caretaker ministers,” she said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson tweeted that there should be a “razor sharp focus on getting a solution” to his party’s concerns about the Northern Ireland Protocol.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n We need a razor sharp focus on getting a solution, whether by negotiation or legislation. There is no solid basis for a fully functioning Stormont until NIP is replaced with arrangements that unionists can support. Progress in NI only made when unionists & nationalists are aboard https:\/\/t.co\/6B8ftsRo50<\/a><\/p>\nWhat has Chris Heaton-Harris said?<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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So when might an election happen?<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
Why is Stormont in crisis again?<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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Read more: Stormont crisis explained <\/span><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
How have the politicians reacted?<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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