Assembly election plans set to be revealed in Parliament tomorrow by Secretary of State Chris Heaton-Harris, say Downing Street

The Northern Ireland Secretary defied expectations at the end of last month when a deadline to restore fully functioning power-sharing government at Stormont came and went without action. Northern Ireland has been without an Executive at Stormont since February, when the DUP withdrew ministers in protest at the Northern Ireland Protocol, a post-Brexit trading arrangement that unionists say separates Northern Ireland from the rest of the UK when it comes to customs.

Following the Assembly elections in May, and the refusal of the DUP to allow the restoration of the institutions by a deadline of October 28, the Secretary of State is now legally obligated to order a fresh election.

Mr Heaton-Harris, in advance of the October deadline, had repeatedly insisted he would order a fresh poll. He has yet to set a date, however, and on Friday announced there would be no poll this side of Christmas.

His handling of the need for an election has come in for criticism, meanwhile, with parties in Northern Ireland critical of the continued uncertainty. Now, Downing Street has insisted the government's “absolute priority for the people of Northern Ireland” is to restore power-sharing.

According to a readout issued by Downing Street, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak began Cabinet with a discussion of the challenges facing Northern Ireland, which is without an executive amid an impasse over post-Brexit arrangements.

“The Northern Ireland Secretary (Chris Heaton-Harris) said he had carried out extensive engagement with executive party leaders, civic society and business leaders, as well as people in Northern Ireland in recent days.

“He noted that he has carefully considered an informed approach in line with those discussions.”

The Downing Street readout continued: “Cabinet agreed that the UK Government’s absolute priority for the people of Northern Ireland was the restoration of a stable, effective and accountable devolved government in Northern Ireland as well as protecting the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement which had been the bedrock of progress.

“The Northern Ireland Secretary resolved to update the House of Commons on the best means to achieve that tomorrow [Wednesday] in the House.”