Theresa May and Varadkar to attend Stormont talks as deal looks imminent

The prime minister and Irish premier Leo Varadkar will meet with Stormont’s main political parties as they continue talks aimed at ending the 13-month political stalemate.

A Downing Street official said Mrs May will take part in a series of meetings at Stormont House and encourage the parties to resolve their differences.

The official added that the PM will make clear that the government remains fully committed to the restoration of power-sharing, devolution and the Belfast Agreement.

She is expected to tell the parties that she believes progress has been made in recent days and reiterate that the UK and Irish governments – as part of the three-strand approach set out in the Belfast Agreement – will continue to work with them to see an agreement reached.

According to Downing Street, Mrs May will restate her strong belief that a fully functioning Executive, empowered to take decisions over local matters, is the best way to serve the interests of the whole community.

She will also tell them that the government is ready to introduce legislation to enable the re-establishment of an Executive as soon as possible following an agreement.

While she is in the Province, the prime minister will also meet staff and management at a major employer to discuss the government’s commitment to back business success and opportunity in Northern Ireland.

The Province has been without a functioning government since January 2017 and several rounds of talks to resolve the crisis have failed. However, speculation has been growing that a deal between Sinn Fein and the DUP is close.

On Saturday, Sinn Fein’s Northern Ireland leader Michelle O’Neill said talks are likely to draw to a close this week.

DUP MLA William Irwin said yesterday “the general feeling was there could be agreement”.

Mr Irwin agreed that the talks were likely to finish very soon, but was wary of predicting the outcome.

He said: “It does get to the stage that you either get an agreement or you don’t. These talks can’t go on forever.

“My understanding is that there are some differences but the general feeling was there could be agreement.

“We’ve been almost here before a couple of times, I wouldn’t want to make assumptions just yet.

“The people of Northern Ireland would like to see an agreement. Like Sinn Fein we have to seek an agreement that is fair to our community too.”

Speaking at a special ard fheis in Dublin on Saturday, where she was ratified as deputy leader of Sinn Fein alongside new party president Mary Lou McDonald, Ms O’Neill said differences remained between the republican party and the DUP, but insisted that they could be resolved.

Ms O’Neill said: “As in any negotiation, there has been give and take and at this point we have not yet resolved or overcome all our differences to satisfaction.

“There is no doubt that progress has been made, but there are outstanding issues which remain unresolved.”

The current talks are seen by many as the last chance to strike a deal with direct rule looming.