Everyone should be worried by the fact the British government does not seem to have a viable plan for restoring powersharing, Sinn Féin has claimed.

Leader Mary Lou McDonald also described Brexit as an "imminent threat to the economic, social and political functioning of Ireland in its totality" and as being incompatible with the Good Friday Agreement.

She told journalists at a press conference in central London: "There is a problem here in the immediate term of getting the institutions of government back up and running.

"It is our assessment that the British government does not have a plan to make that happen and that should concern everybody."

She suggested, "on an optimistic note", that "an accommodation is possible, was possible and remains possible".

Ms McDonald reiterated calls for an intergovernmental conference including Dublin.

She also called on the DUP to "lead from the front" to reach a deal that may suit everyone.

She added: "The stakes here are very high and that is before we even consider Brexit.

"The reality is that Brexit and the Good Friday Agreement are not compatible.

"Brexit, whether it is hard or soft, represents a clear and imminent threat to the economic, social and political functioning of Ireland in its totality.

"It goes in right at the political infrastructure and the legal framework upon which the Good Friday Agreement is built.

"The heavy lifting in terms of protecting Ireland will be done by the Dublin government."

She added: "I would suggest to you that in fact the Tory government has not paid a whole while of notice to the position of the devolved institutions."

Speaking to The Guardian today, the Sinn Féin leader was critical of British Prime Minister Theresa May, saying: “It’s not her words, it’s her actions: we’ve had words until we’ve nearly given each other migraines. In the final analysis, to get this sorted out, you can only judge and make a call when the words are silent and when you look to the actions.”

Ms McDonald also described the possibility of a return to direct rule from Westminster as "unacceptable" and slammed recent criticism of the Good Friday Agreement by Brexiteers in Britain.

“[It] chimes so badly for Irish people to hear commentators from outside Ireland, in this bellicose manner, suggesting that something that we prize … should be set aside in that kind of cavalier, high-handed way,” she said.