Northern Ireland Secretary insists new election looms for the Province as officials earmark date of December 15

He restated his intention to call a Stormont Assembly if the Executive is not up-and-running by October 28 during a meeting at Westminster.

The Electoral Office wrote to political parties on Tuesday indicating that, if an election is called, it will take place on December 15.

There had been talk that the government could just change the law which obliges it to call new elections, but Mr Heaton-Harris said he “can’t see the space” for doing so.

Appearing at the Northern Ireland Affairs committee on Tuesday, Mr Heaton-Harris said he had discussed the ongoing paralysis at Stormont with his Cabinet colleagues earlier that day.

“If we do not get a reformed executive by one minute past midnight on the 28th of October, I will be calling an election, that’s what the law requires me to do, and that is what I will be doing,” he told MPs.

“Lots of things would be a lot easier if the Executive were running.

"So my focus is trying to charm, beguile, coax everybody into that place – that they come back into the executive.

"And I’d like to think I will be successful, but if I’m not then I’m afraid it is an election.”

DUP MP Ian Paisley raised the issue of former Sinn Fein councillor Jonathan Dowdall being convicted in the Republic of Ireland of facilitating a gangland murder in Dublin, and several incidents of pro-IRA chanting.

He also referred to Sinn Fein’s Stormont leader Michelle O’Neill’s comments that there was “no alternative” to IRA violence during the Troubles.

“Are you able to push back on the Irish government, on the Sinn Fein leader, and others, to indicate to them just how difficult a situation these actual examples of people’s conduct is going to make the negotiations to fix the Northern Ireland peace?” Mr Paisley asked.

Mr Heaton-Harris said he has not had the opportunity “to raise those personally, but I am the sort of person who absolutely would”.

In a letter to the parties, the Electoral Office said the election, if called, will take place on December 15.

The letter, seen by the PA news agency, said the Eikon Centre in Co Antrim, the Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast, and the Foyle Arena will be used as a counting centres on December 16.

Signed by Chief Electoral Office for Northern Ireland Virginia McVea, it also said they have had to contact 9,000 people to ask them to work at the election, and will need 5,500 staff in posts.

Ireland’s Foreign Affairs Minister said the UK Government’s intention to call an election if the executive is not formed by October 28 puts all sides “under pressure”.

Simon Coveney described Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris’s stance on the matter as “consistent”, adding that it “puts us all under pressure because there’s only a little over a week to go.

He told the PA news agency: “What we need to do is find a way of persuading all parties to form that Executive.

“There’s only one party at the moment that doesn’t want to do it. And they said they won’t do it unless and until they see changes in the context of the Northern Ireland Protocol.”

Mr Coveney added that Ireland is “up for making changes” in terms of how the protocol is implemented “so that its impact on Northern Ireland is very different to the perceptions that are there at the moment”.

“I think the EU is up for making those changes and Vice-President Sefcovic has already given a very clear indication as to the direction of travel,” he said.

“But we need a partner in that. And that partner is the British Government.”

Mr Coveney said there is a “willingness” to settle the protocol issues hindering Stormont being reformed but “we certainly cannot do everything in a week”.

“It’s also important to say that in recent weeks the conversations with my counterparts in the British Government, Chris Heaton Harris, Steve Baker, James Cleverly have been very positive,” Mr Coveney said.

“There is a willingness to move forward and try and settle these issues but whether we can do it in a week remains to be seen.

“We certainly cannot do everything in a week. But let’s wait and see.”

Mr Coveney and Mr Heaton-Harris are due to meet on Wednesday to discuss the protocol issues.