Sinn Féin negotiating team announce they are not nominating a speaker or deputy first minister leading to collapse of talks.

THE deadline to restore devolution is today with Sinn Féin confirming it will not be nominating a deputy first minister.

Sinn Féin's northern leader Michelle O'Neill last night said talks at Stormont Castle had run their course.

The talks had continued at the weekend involving Sinn Féin and the British and Irish governments, but without the DUP, which did not attend. The DUP said its refusal to negotiate on Sundays was a long-standing policy, however.

The three-week deadline to form an Executive expires today at 4pm, with no signs of a resolution to the impasse.

The assembly is due to sit this morning, although the parties are not expected to make nominations for the positions of first and deputy first minister.

Sinn Féin, which said last week it would not accept an extension of the talks deadline, has insisted that it will not support DUP leader Arlene Foster's nomination as first minister.

Unless a last-minute compromise can be found to fill the posts by 4pm, legislation states that Secretary of State James Brokenshire must call an election within "a reasonable time".

Ms O'Neill said Sinn Féin confirmed that Sinn Féin would not be supporting nominations for speaker or the Executive today.

"When the extent of the RHI scandal became apparent and the first minister refused to step aside, Martin McGuinness acted and made clear there could be no return to the status quo," she said.

"The decision by Martin McGuinness to resign was endorsed in the election. The election result has transformed the political landscape. The approach of the unionist parties and the governments must reflect this change.

“We entered talks to implement what had already been agreed, to rebuild public confidence in an executive and assembly, operating on the basis of equality and respect and rights for all in society. This was an entirely reasonable approach. Sinn Féin in the talks sought the full implementation of the outstanding issues of equality and rights. The governments and the DUP have failed to step up to the plate."

Earlier, Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams said there had been "no substantive progress" in the discussions.

"Regrettably, thus far in the talks process there has been no substantive progress across all of the key issues that are at the core of the current impasse. The DUP’s approach thus far has been to engage in a minimalist way on all of the key issues, including legacy issues; an Irish Language Act; a Bill of Rights; and marriage equality," he said.

Sinn Féin leader says talks have 'run their course' with political uncertainty ahead. .

"They have been reinforced in this by the British Government’s stance. This is unacceptable and a matter of grave concern."

Mr Adams called on Taoiseach Enda Kenny to "stand up" for previous political agreements.

"The Taoiseach knows that he is the co-equal guarantor, with the British PM, of the Good Friday and other agreements. People across this island need to see the Taoiseach standing up for these agreements."

Among the issues which have sharply divided the DUP and Sinn Féin are questions over legacy and the topic of an Irish language act, with a protest scheduled to take place today at Stormont calling for the introduction of legislation.

An Dream Dearg, an Irish language campaign group, is to stage the protest outside the assembly buildings at 4.15pm.