Parliament to introduce bill extending deadline for forming Northern Ireland executive

Published

3 years ago

November 21, 2022

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The UK government will introduce new legislation today to extend the deadline for forming an executive in Northern Ireland.

There has been no functioning government in Stormont since May’s vote, with the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) refusing to restore power-sharing unless the Northern Ireland protocol is scrapped.

The post-Brexit trade agreement was designed to prevent a hard border being introduced on the island of Ireland, but has instead led to trade barriers in the Irish Sea between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, to the anger of unionists.

Under the current law, political parties had until 28 October to form an executive or be forced to hold fresh Assembly elections within 12 weeks of the deadline.

But they remained at a stalemate, and there was little appetite for a fresh ballot, especially during a cost of living crisis.

Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris confirmed he would introduce new legislation to extend the timeframe earlier this month, and the bill will now be brought to parliament.

The new deadline for forming an executive will be 8 December, with the possibility of a further six week extension to 19 January – meaning the latest a new election would be held would be 13 April.

The bill will also allow the Northern Ireland secretary to cut Assembly members’ (MLAs’) pay while they are not sitting in Stormont, as well as enabling a small number of vital public service appointments to be made and clarifying limited decision-making powers for civil servants to ensure public services can still be delivered.

Mr Heaton-Harris urged parties “to use this extended time to come together and deliver for the interests of all people in Northern Ireland, particularly in this time of rising costs”.

He added: “At present, MLAs are not in a position to fulfil the full range of their duties, so it is right that we take steps to reduce their salaries, especially in the current economic climate and in view of the £660m black hole in the public finances created by poor decisions made by outgoing ministers.

“Furthermore, Northern Ireland’s people are being denied full democratic representation. The government’s priority is to see politicians elected to return to fulfil their roles in a strong, devolved and locally accountable government, as laid out by the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement.”

As part of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, Northern Ireland’s main parties must be part of a power-sharing agreement for the government to function.

The first minister and deputy first ministers have equal powers and one must be unionist and the other nationalist. There can also not be one without the other.

The UK government has vowed to secure changes to the protocol, either through a negotiated compromise with the EU or through proposed domestic legislation which would scrap the arrangements without the approval of Brussels.

But while unionists favour the latter option, opponents have likened it to “placing a gun on the table” at talks with the EU aimed at finding a solution, arguing it breaks international law, as well as risking a trade war.

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British-Israeli soldier killed while fighting in Gaza, reports say

Published

5 hours ago

June 29, 2025

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British-Israeli soldier killed while fighting in Gaza, reports say

A British-Israeli soldier has been killed while fighting in Gaza, Israeli media reports said.

He was named locally as Sergeant Yisrael Natan Rosenfeld, 20, from the city of Ra’anana.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said it is “looking into reports that an IDF soldier who died in combat in Gaza is a British national”.

The IDF soldier, who served in the 601st Combat Engineering Battalion, was killed by an explosive device on Sunday, the Times of Israel reported.

The paper said Mr Rosenfeld moved to Israel from London with his family 11 years ago.

More than 860 Israeli soldiers have been killed since Israel’s war against Hamas began on 7 October 2023, more than 400 of them during the fighting in Gaza.

The war began when the militant group launched an attack on Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostage.

Israel’s offensive in Gaza has devastated the enclave and killed more than 56,000 people, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, which does not differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count, but says more than half of the dead are women and children.

It came as Donald Trump called for progress in ceasefire talks in the war between Israel and Hamas.

“MAKE THE DEAL IN GAZA. GET THE HOSTAGES BACK!!!” the US president wrote on social media on Sunday.

On Friday Mr Trump raised expectations by claiming there could be an agreement within the next week.

World

Pictures reveal inside of Bayesian sunken superyacht after it was resurfaced for full examination

Published

15 hours ago

June 29, 2025

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Pictures reveal inside of Bayesian sunken superyacht after it was resurfaced for full examination

The inside of the superyacht that sank off the coast of Sicily almost a year ago has been seen for the first time after it was resurfaced.

British billionaire Mike Lynch, 59, his daughter Hannah, 18, and five others died after the 56-metre (184ft) Bayesian sank off Porticello on 19 August 2024.

Images reveal what the inside of the British-flagged vessel looks like now – after it was resurfaced and placed in a manufactured steel cradle in Termini Imerese.

In one picture, a lounge area can be seen, complete with sofas and other furniture, while another shows the hatch down to the lower deck.

Now the boat is back on land, a balloon-like instrument will be used to lift its 72m (236ft) mast after it was cut off with a remote-controlled tool to rest on the seabed.

While salvage workers continue a “full sweep” of the ocean floor nearby, a full examination of the yacht will look at what could have been done to prevent the tragedy.

The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) will then publish a report into its investigation.

The family of the Bayesian chef Recaldo Thomas, who was among those who died, says “lessons need to be learned”.

In a statement through the Thomas family lawyers Keystone Law, they said they want the investigation to “establish the truth of what happened” and “bring those responsible to justice”.

Simon Graves, an MAIB investigator, said of the investigation previously: “When the wreck is brought ashore, we’ll be completing a full examination of the wreck and we’ll be finding out all of the elements that might have contributed to the safety of the vessel.”

Things like the vessel’s “escape routes” will be included in the final report, Mr Graves added.

“Once we get access to the vessel we’ll be able to tell a fuller picture of activities on board and the sequence of events.”

A UK inquest will look at the deaths of Mr Lynch, Miss Lynch, Morgan Stanley banker Jonathan Bloomer, 70, and his wife Judy, 71, who were all British nationals.

US lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda also died.

Fifteen people, including Mr Lynch’s wife Angela Bacares, were rescued.

World

Riot police clash with protesters calling for end to Serbian president’s rule

Published

21 hours ago

June 29, 2025

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Riot police clash with protesters calling for end to Serbian president's rule

Serbian riot police have clashed with anti-government protesters calling for snap elections and an end to the 12-year rule of President Aleksandar Vucic.

The protest by tens of thousands of demonstrators was held in Belgrade on Saturday after months of persistent demonstrations led by Serbia‘s university students that have rattled Mr Vucic’s grip on power.

The crowd chanted “We want elections!” as they filled the capital’s central Slavija Square and several streets around it.

Students gave speeches. One, who didn’t give her name, said: “Elections are a clear way out of the social crisis caused by the deeds of the government, which is undoubtedly against the interests of their own people.

“Today, on June 28 2025, we declare the current authorities illegitimate.”

Tensions were high before and during the gathering.

Riot police had been deployed around government buildings, parliament and nearby Pionirski Park, where hundreds of Mr Vucic’s loyalists from across the country have been camping for months.

As the protest ended in the evening, some demonstrators threw bottles, rocks and flares at the police who were preventing the crowd from approaching Pionirski Park and confronting Mr Vucic’s backers.

Skirmishes between riot officers and groups of protesters lasted for several hours, with police firing tear gas to disperse crowds in several locations across Belgrade’s city centre.

Police detained several dozen protesters, while six officers were reported injured in the clashes, Dragan Vasiljevic, the director of police, told a news conference late on Saturday.

Responding to the violence, President Vucic said in an Instagram post: “Serbia always wins in the end.”

University students have been a key force behind nationwide demonstrations that started after a renovated rail station canopy collapsed, killing 16 people in November last year.

Many blamed the concrete roof crash on government corruption and negligence in state infrastructure projects, leading to recurring protests.

President Vucic and his right-wing Serbian Progressive Party have repeatedly refused the demand for an early parliamentary vote and accused protesters of planning to spur violence on orders from abroad, which they have not specified.

A former extreme nationalist, Mr Vucic has become increasingly authoritarian since coming to power more than a decade ago. He formally says he wants Serbia to join the European Union, but critics say he has stifled democratic freedoms and strengthened ties with Russia and China.

While demonstrations have shrunk in recent weeks, the large showing for Saturday’s rally suggested that the resolve persists, despite relentless pressure and after nearly eight months of almost daily protests.