The Prime Minister has insisted the basis for an agreement to save Stormont still exists.
Theresa May spoke with DUP leader Arlene Foster and Sinn Fein leaders Mary Lou McDonald and Michelle O’Neill on Thursday night.
Mrs May has faced criticism for her intervention in the talks on Monday, with the DUP claiming her arrival at Stormont proved to be a “distraction” that stalled momentum in the process.
On Thursday, a No 10 spokeswoman said: “The Prime Minister spoke to the leaders of Sinn Fein and the DUP on the phone earlier this evening about the recent phase of political talks in Northern Ireland.
“In both phone calls the Prime Minister expressed her disappointment that an agreement had not yet been reached despite recent progress being made by everyone involved.
“She reiterated how the Government remains absolutely committed to restoring an executive and that it is still her firm belief that restoring devolved government – so that democratically elected politicians can make locally accountable decisions – is in the best interests of everyone in Northern Ireland.
“The Prime Minister was clear that she still believes the basis for an agreement exists and recognised the leadership both parties had shown over past weeks and months.
“She urged them both to reflect on the recent phase of talks in order to find the best way forward.
“On next steps, the Prime Minister was clear that the UK Government has a responsibility to consider what needed to be done to protect the interests of Northern Ireland in the ongoing absence of an executive.
“She added that the Northern Ireland Secretary would continue to work closely with the parties, and the Irish government in accordance with the three-stranded approach, to support that process.”
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel