Secretary of State Chris Heaton-Harris indicates that an election is increasingly likely but it would not stop NI Protocol talks between UK and EU

Mr Heaton-Harris said negotiations to break the impasse over the contentious post-Brexit Irish Sea trading arrangements will continue “no matter what”.

In a press conference yesterday, the Northern Ireland Secretary also warned the region’s Assembly members that he will look at cutting their pay if they fail to form a functioning executive before next week’s deadline.

If a devolved administration is not established by the October 28 deadline, Mr Heaton-Harris has made clear he will fulfil his legislative obligation to call another Assembly election, with December 15 emerging as the likely date.

The UK Government minister, who said he would announce the election date “immediately” after the deadline passes, said London and Brussels had been trying to assure the DUP it could re-enter powersharing confident that both sides were working constructively to find a solution on the protocol.

The UK Government has vowed to secure changes to the protocol, either by a negotiated compromise with the EU or through proposed domestic legislation which would empower ministers to scrap the arrangements without the approval of Brussels.

Relations between the UK and the EU appear to have improved since Ms Truss became Prime Minister, and London and Brussels have been talking up the potential for a deal through fresh negotiations.

A previous round of talks between the EU and the UK were paused ahead of the last Assembly election in the spring, with both sides acknowledging that continuing the process amid a potentially polarising campaign could be counterproductive.

Mr Heaton-Harris suggested a different approach would be adopted if another election was called.

“The talks between the UK Government and the European Union will continue no matter what,” he told reporters in Belfast.

“They might move on. As you have probably detected, I’m a glass half full man on these matters and I know the talks are going ahead in good faith and good spirit and good humour. So I’m confident they will continue.

“Everyone’s been trying to demonstrate that these are talks that are happening and being positive about getting outcomes to demonstrate that hopefully, to the people, the unionist community here, that their politicians can go back into the executive because things are moving in this space.

“I’m not in charge of the negotiations – that’s James Cleverly, the Foreign Secretary – but I fully expect those talks to continue.”

Asked when he would look to cut MLA pay if the powersharing impasse continued, Mr Heaton Harris added: “When we get to doing all the making sure that the budget works, should there not be an executive formed I have an opportunity then to look at that.”

The Northern Ireland Secretary was also asked whether he had contemplated the potential of the DUP agreeing to reform an executive for a brief period, only to leave it again almost immediately. That tactic would potentially reset the clock on the six-month legislative deadline for calling an election.

“If it was legal, then I’d have to look at that,” he said.

When questioned on whether he thought he would still be in his post on October 28 given the current turmoil at Westminster, he answered with a confident ‘yes’.

Asked if he expected anything different from another election so soon after the last one, he said: “I’m pretty hopeful that we might be able to get somewhere different, never prejudge the outcome of an election.

“I’m always aware as someone who has been elected a few times and also not elected once or twice is that you go into an election expecting to talk about one thing and then all of a sudden you have to talk about what people are talking about because that’s what they’re interested in."

Mr Heaton-Harris said if a poll was called he would expect the campaign to be dominated by issues such as health waiting lists and the cost of living.

He said the rollout of Government mitigation schemes, such as non-domestic energy support payments, was being hindered by the lack of a functioning executive.

“It’d be much easier for me to do that with a functioning executive that was working,” he said.

The Conservative MP had earlier held talks with Irish Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney in Belfast.

Afterwards, Mr Coveney said it was clear Mr Heaton-Harris was “not bluffing” on his intention to call an election.

Mr Coveney insisted the EU was prepared to respond “comprehensively” to unionist concerns over the protocol.

He said negotiations were continuing in a “positive light” but an imminent breakthrough was unlikely given the domestic difficulties facing the UK Government at Westminster.

Mr Coveney said the UK and Irish governments wanted to avoid an “unnecessary election” as he warned that an electoral campaign could make it more difficult for London and Brussels to strike a deal on the protocol.

The minister said the ability to avert an election rested with Northern Ireland’s political parties, in particular the DUP, as he urged all sides to come together and form an executive before the deadline.

“Let me reassure you that the EU is absolutely listening to and willing to respond comprehensively to the concerns that have been raised by the business community, and also by unionist representatives,” Irish Minister Mr Coveney told a peace-building event in north Belfast.