Northern Ireland's parties have been warned it is becoming "increasingly clear" the UK Government will soon be forced to intervene if no new power-sharing agreement is achieved.

Following a meeting with party leaders in Belfast on Monday, Northern Ireland Secretary James Brokenshire insisted the period for talks aimed at resurrecting the devolved Stormont executive is "closing rapidly".

The Cabinet minister revealed pressures on public services is making plain the need for Westminster to pass a budget in Northern Ireland and to "consider next steps".

With no agreement on re-establishing the Northern Ireland Assembly, direct rule from London could become the only option for the first time in a decade.

Civil servants have been running Northern Ireland for six months but with no agreed budget and no ministers in office, health and education services are in crisis.


Health trusts recently set out £70million worth of saving plans.

Image: Civil servants have been running Stormont for six months

Mr Brokenshire said: "I cannot ignore the growing concern in the wider community here about the impact that the current political impasse is having on the local economy and on the delivery of key public services.

"The window of opportunity to restore devolution and to form an executive is closing rapidly as we move further into the autumn.

"With pressures on public services already evident, most particularly in the health service, the need for intervention is becoming increasingly clear.

"The UK Government has a duty to the people of Northern Ireland to provide political stability and certainty.

"If this political impasse continues I will be forced to legislate in Westminster for a budget for Northern Ireland and consider next steps.

"I don't want to have to take this action."

Image: DUP leader Arlene Foster (right) and Sinn Fein's Michelle O'Neill

Last week, Sinn Fein rejected Democratic Union Party leader Arlene Foster's proposal to resume power-sharing and address differences over culture and language in a parallel process.

Sinn Fein leader in Northern Ireland Michelle O'Neill accused Mrs Foster of calling "for something which she knew would be rejected", but the party claimed a deal could still be done in days.

Mrs O'Neill said: "There is a short window in front of us where we need to find solutions and a way forward.

"We need a short, sharp and focused negotiation in the small time-frame we have ahead of us."

Mrs Foster stated a decision must be made quickly.

"I am not going to be prescriptive but we do not believe that there can be a prolonged set of talks," she said.

Irish foreign affairs minister Simon Coveney will meet the parties on Tuesday, while Mr Brokenshire said he will continue to meet parties bilaterally to establish grounds for consensus before a possible return to a structured multi-party process.

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At St. Patrick's High School in Keady, County Armagh, they fear the continuing political stalemate will have long-term consequences for education.

Principal Pat McGuckian explained: "In the last five years, we've made 10 redundancies in terms of teaching staff.

"This year, we've had to make support staff redundant.

"While making teaching staff redundant increases class sizes and puts more pressure on teachers, making support staff redundant is going to impact on the most vulnerable in our school.

"They're going to fall off the end educationally because there's no one to help them and keep them in school."

Northern Ireland's devolved government, which collapsed in January over a botched renewable energy scheme, had agreed a plan to reduce waiting lists in the health service - but with no health minister in office to implement it, doctors say lives could be lost.

Dr Grainne Doran, who chairs the Royal College of GPs in Northern Ireland, explained: "The difficulty with elective care is that if your waiting time for that becomes excessively long, change can happen.

"That's one of the pressures that we as GPs are under, that we need to keep an eye on and monitor those patients.

"If there is a failure to escalate if change does occur, then that can in theory put lives at risk."