Editorial: The ultimate responsibility for Northern Ireland's governance lies with Westminster

​Another round of party political talks got underway yesterday at Hillsborough Castle.​

The secretary of state, Chris Heaton-Harris, is pushing for a return to power-sharing, against a backdrop of impending strikes and an offer from the government of a new financial package.

It is often claimed that, in the absence of local ministers, Northern Ireland suffers from a gap in governance. Either civil servants are required to make decisions that should not be their responsibility or things simply do not get done.

It is worth remembering, in this context, how ineffectual the institutions at Stormont have been when they have actually been operating.

The secretary of state may this time decide to revamp the way that the government works with civil servants. What is often missed in this discussion, though, is that Westminster is ultimately responsible for what happens here.

The St Andrews Agreement regrettably made direct rule more troublesome to implement, but the powers that Stormont wields are still devolved from the UK parliament. That is a matter of sovereignty and it is underpinned by the principle of consent, which all the political parties here are supposed to respect.

During the last seven years in NI, the executive failed to sit for five. For three of those, it was Sinn Fein making demands and drawing “red lines”. The fact that Westminster has not stepped in properly during that time is effectively an abdication of responsibility. While its powers are devolved to local institutions, the government of our country is based in London.

That’s a fact that Rishi Sunak and Chris Heaton-Harris would do well to bear in mind, as they contemplate their next steps over the week to come.