Sinn Fein declares Northern Ireland power-sharing talks over despite British hopes

Talks to resolve Northern Ireland’s political stalemate have reached the “end of the road”, the Sinn Fein party said, but London said it hoped a power-sharing government could be formed at the eleventh hour.

After three weeks of talks to form a power-sharing executive in the province, the Irish Republican party Sinn Fein said Sunday that no deal had been reached.

Sinn Fein, representing Catholic Irish nationalists, and the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) of the pro-British Protestants, have until Monday afternoon to reach an agreement or governance of the province could be transferred to London.

“Today we have come to the end of the road,” said Michelle O’Neill, the party’s leader in Northern Ireland.

“The talks process has run its course and Sinn Fein will not be nominating for the position of speaker or for the executive office tomorrow.”

The political crisis began when O’Neill’s predecessor, Martin McGuinness, stepped down in protest at the handling of a botched green energy programme by the DUP leader and First Minister Arlene Foster.

McGuinness died on Tuesday of a rare heart condition and his funeral was attended by Foster, who was pictured shaking hands with O’Neill.