This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

The government remains committed to the Good Friday agreement and the re-establishment of power-sharing devolved government in Belfast, the Northern Ireland secretary has emphasised.

James Brokenshire said that despite the forthcoming assembly election caused by a political crisis at Stormont, the government’s “strongly preferred option” remains devolution for the region.

Brokenshire told the House of Commons on Tuesday that he was “not contemplating any outcome other than the re-establishment of strong and stable devolved government”.

He repeated calls from Theresa May and her Irish counterpart, Enda Kenny, that Northern Ireland politicians avoid fomenting division and bitterness during the seven-week election campaign.

On the 2 March poll, he said: “This election is about the future of Northern Ireland and its political institutions. Not just the assembly but all of the arrangements that have been put in place to reflect relationships throughout these islands.

“That is why it will be vital for the campaign to be conducted respectfully and in ways that do not simply exacerbate tensions and division.”

Looking ahead to the expected protracted post-election negotiations aimed at re-establishing a power-sharing executive in Belfast, the secretary of state said:“For our part, the UK government will continue to stand by our commitments under the Belfast agreement and its successors and we will do all that we can to safeguard political stability.

“Over the past decade Northern Ireland has enjoyed the longest run of unbroken devolved government since before the demise of the old Stormont parliament in 1972.

“It has not always been easy, with more than a few bumps in the road, but strong leadership issues that might once have brought the institutions down have been resolved through dialogue.”

Following the collapse of the power-sharing government on Monday the prime minister and Kenny, the taoiseach, spoke by telephone about the need to rebuild devolved institutions in Northern Ireland.

A spokesman for the taoiseach said: “They both expressed the hope that the election campaign would be respectful, noting that following the election the Northern Ireland parties would once again have to engage on the various challenges they face.”

Speculation is mounting that the campaign will be so bitter and rancorous that the parties elected to a new assembly will be unable to reach agreement on a rebooted devolved administration.

The present assembly will sit until 26 January, when it will be dissolved. The election takes place just 10 months after the previous poll, which resulted in a joint Sinn Féin-Democratic Unionist party government.

The devolved administration fell after a row over a bungled green energy scheme and the refusal of Arlene Foster, the DUP first minister, to temporarily stand down from her post.