Legislation is set to be introduced at Westminster later to push back the deadline by which a Northern Ireland Executive must be formed.
The Northern Ireland (Executive Formation etc) Bill will also see MLA salaries slashed by about a third while the Assembly is unable to conduct business, and take “limited but necessary steps” to maintain public services.
It comes as the Stormont parties failed to establish a new Executive by October 28, some 24 weeks after the last Assembly election in May.
