But the foreign minister once again stopped short of setting an election date and said “short-term measures will be required to set the budget.” It comes after Mr Heaton-Harris met with NI political leaders on Tuesday. Last week, he failed to set a date for an election after confirming he would call an election when the Stormont parties failed to agree on the composition of an Assembly and Executive. The DUP has repeatedly refused to allow the appointment of a President and has said it will not serve in a power-sharing executive until issues surrounding the Northern Ireland Protocol are resolved. The 24-week deadline to set up a functioning power-sharing body in Belfast after May’s election expired at midnight on Friday. Once the deadline passed, the UK government took on the legal responsibility to call a new election within 12 weeks. Mr Heaton-Harris denied he was about to make a U-turn and promised to release more information this week after talks with politicians. Speaking after meetings with political leaders on Tuesday, he said he expressed his disappointment that the legal duty to call an election now falls on him. “I have heard the various views of the party leaders regarding the calling of these elections,” he said. “There are important government issues that need to be addressed due to the absence of ministers. “I am particularly concerned that the Executive has a huge black hole in its budget, which has potentially serious implications for the delivery of many of Northern Ireland’s public services. Budgeting measures will be required in the short term. “I will provide further information on next steps in due course.” Both Sinn Fein deputy leader Michelle O’Neill and DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson earlier criticized the lack of clarity provided by Mr Heaton-Harris following meetings in Belfast. Ms O’Neill described herself as “none the wiser” about the election after the meeting, with Sir Jeffrey adding that Mr Heaton-Harris had given no indication of when an election would be called. Alliance Party leader Naomi Long also told media Mr Heaton-Harris should look into MLA salaries and said any election should only be called after a deal is reached with the EU. Ms O’Neill, who was appointed First Minister following May’s election results, said the public had been “left in the dark” and suggested the secretary had offered “no clarity” after their meeting. “I think (Chris Heaton-Harris) has doubled down on that approach again today. I just don’t think that’s acceptable,” Ms O’Neill said. “I’m none the wiser today as to his next step, he hasn’t made it very clear. “He didn’t say what his next move was. But you cannot escape the reality that there is a legal obligation to call an election. “On the contrary, it has created a political vacuum.” He added: “The Foreign Secretary told us that he had a legal obligation, that he would call this election one minute after midnight (on Friday). “Then what we saw unfold last Friday was a strange reversal, the failure to continue in that vein. “We met with him again this morning. We asked him a lot of questions, but I have to say (he) didn’t give clarity, he didn’t give more information about the reversal. “We’re left with no information about what happens next, or at least what he plans to do next. “It is very clear that he has a legal obligation to call an election if an executive is not formed. “But he didn’t color in the lines today. He certainly didn’t give any clarity on what he plans to do next, other than to say he’s here to meet people.” Mr Donaldson said Mr Heaton-Harris had not offered clarity on when and if an election would be called. “We just don’t know, the foreign minister hasn’t told us when he’s going to call an election,” he said. “So at the moment, neither we nor the people of Northern Ireland know if or when an election will take place.” The DUP leader also claimed he had received no indication whether a deal on the Northern Ireland Protocol was imminent. …