Northern Ireland faces ongoing political deadlock as power-sharing talks falter again
• Northern Ireland's power-sharing executive collapsed in February 2022 and has not been restored since then despite several deadlines • The latest deadline expires at midnight on January 18th, but the NI Secretary is expected to push it back again to avoid calling another election • The collapse is due to the DUP withdrawing over post-Brexit trade arrangements under the Northern Ireland Protocol • There is currently a major public sector strike in NI over pay and conditions that the Secretary says should be addressed by local ministers • The Secretary plans to introduce legislation next week, likely extending deadlines again and addressing NI's budget in the continued absence of local ministers