The deadline for forming a power-sharing government after May’s election expired last week, and Britain’s Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris said at the time that he was legally bound to call a new election within 12 weeks. After Northern Ireland’s main political parties said they did not expect a new vote to break the deadlock, Heaton-Harris said he heard the “sincere concerns” across the region about the impact and cost of an election at this time. In a statement Friday morning, Heaton-Harris said he heard concerns about the impact and cost of the election at this time. “I can now confirm that there will be no parliamentary elections in December or ahead of the festive season. Current legislation requires me to set a date for the election to be held within 12 weeks of October 28 and next week I will make a statement to parliament to set out my next steps.” He added: “My aim, what the people of Northern Ireland deserve, is to restore a strong, devolved government. My role is to create the right environment for parties in Northern Ireland to work together to restore devolved institutions and respond to critical issues affecting the people of Northern Ireland. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. “I do not take this task lightly, nor do I ignore the very real concerns that people have about the cost of living.”
