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The Northern Ireland secretary has said he will introduce new legislation to address the political deadlock after the latest deadline to restore Stormont passed.

Chris Heaton-Harris said his legislation will support Northern Ireland departments to manage “the immediate and evident challenges they face in stabilising public services and finances”.

The power-sharing Stormont Assembly has been collapsed for almost two years while the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) refuses to participate until their concerns over post-Brexit trading arrangements have been addressed by the UK government.

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Senior civil servants are running government departments with limited powers in the absence of local ministers.

Sir Jeffrey Donaldson’s party maintained their position during a final failed attempt to recall the Assembly following a motion by Sinn Fein on Wednesday.

Mr Heaton-Harris had been under an obligation to call a fresh election if the institutions were not restored by the latest legal deadline of 18 January.

However, minutes after midnight he issued a statement signalling that he intends to introduce new legislation to avoid this scenario.

The cabinet minister said he was “disappointed”, adding recent events have shown the need for a functioning government “to address a whole range of issues facing Northern Ireland”.

Thursday saw more than 150,000 public sector workers in the region take part in the biggest strike in recent history in a demand for the pay uplifts given to their colleagues in the rest of the UK.

Although the Westminster government offered a financial package worth more than £3bn – including money to make the outstanding pay awards – to Northern Ireland, it will not be made available until Stormont returns.

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Mr Heaton-Harris said: “I remain of the belief that a sitting Northern Ireland Executive is best placed to act quickly and effectively to resolve those issues.

“In the absence of a sitting Northern Ireland Executive I will update parliament on the next steps.

“I intend to introduce new legislation which will take a pragmatic, appropriate and limited approach to addressing the Executive Formation period and support Northern Ireland departments to manage the immediate and evident challenges they face in stabilising public services and finances.”

Northern Ireland’s devolved administration collapsed in February 2022 after the DUP withdrew in protest against post-Brexit trade checks between the region and Great Britain.

It believes the arrangements under the Northern Ireland Protocol diminish the region’s place within the UK.

Last year, Rishi Sunak struck a new deal with the EU known as the Windsor Framework aimed at addressing the concerns.

But the DUP said this did not go far enough and has been seeking further changes.

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RWAs build mirrors where they need building blocks

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RWAs build mirrors where they need building blocks

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Most RWAs remain isolated and underutilized instead of composable, DeFi-ready building blocks. It’s time to change that.

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Collapsed crypto firm Ziglu faces $2.7M deficit amid special administration

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Collapsed crypto firm Ziglu faces .7M deficit amid special administration

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Thousands of savers face potential losses after a $2.7 million shortfall was discovered at Ziglu, a British crypto fintech that entered special administration.

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Heidi Alexander says ‘fairness’ will be government’s ‘guiding principle’ when it comes to taxes at next budget

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Heidi Alexander says 'fairness' will be government's 'guiding principle' when it comes to taxes at next budget

Another hint that tax rises are coming in this autumn’s budget has been given by a senior minister.

Speaking to Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander was asked if Sir Keir Starmer and the rest of the cabinet had discussed hiking taxes in the wake of the government’s failed welfare reforms, which were shot down by their own MPs.

Trevor Phillips asked specifically if tax rises were discussed among the cabinet last week – including on an away day on Friday.

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Tax increases were not discussed “directly”, Ms Alexander said, but ministers were “cognisant” of the challenges facing them.

Asked what this means, Ms Alexander added: “I think your viewers would be surprised if we didn’t recognise that at the budget, the chancellor will need to look at the OBR forecast that is given to her and will make decisions in line with the fiscal rules that she has set out.

“We made a commitment in our manifesto not to be putting up taxes on people on modest incomes, working people. We have stuck to that.”

Ms Alexander said she wouldn’t comment directly on taxes and the budget at this point, adding: “So, the chancellor will set her budget. I’m not going to sit in a TV studio today and speculate on what the contents of that budget might be.

“When it comes to taxation, fairness is going to be our guiding principle.”

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Afterwards, shadow home secretary Chris Philp told Phillips: “That sounds to me like a barely disguised reference to tax rises coming in the autumn.”

He then went on to repeat the Conservative attack lines that Labour are “crashing the economy”.

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Chris Philp also criticsed the government’s migration deal with France

Mr Philp then attacked the prime minister as “weak” for being unable to get his welfare reforms through the Commons.

Discussions about potential tax rises have come to the fore after the government had to gut its welfare reforms.

Sir Keir had wanted to change Personal Independence Payments (PIP), but a large Labour rebellion forced him to axe the changes.

With the savings from these proposed changes – around £5bn – already worked into the government’s sums, they will now need to find the money somewhere else.

The general belief is that this will take the form of tax rises, rather than spending cuts, with more money needed for military spending commitments, as well as other areas of priority for the government, such as the NHS.

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