Westminster being forced to set Northern Ireland’s budget is “increasingly inevitable”, a former Cabinet minister has claimed after powersharing talks collapsed.

The DUP, which props up the Conservative government in Westminster, refused to agree to Sinn Fein demands to introduce legal protections for the Irish language, and said there was "no prospect" of a deal.

Theresa Villiers, the former Northern Ireland secretary, said the continued absence of a ruling executive in the province after more than a year of stalemate meant the UK Government would likely have to step in to keep services running.

Theresa May, the Prime Minister, is under intense pressure over the instability after she visited Belfast on Monday amid increasing speculation that a deal was close.

But her visit was subsequently labelled a “distraction” by DUP figures.

However, Ms Villiers defended Mrs May and claimed the Prime Minister’s visit “will have helped move things along”.