Northern Ireland Secretary James Brokenshire introduced the budget with "the utmost reluctance" and said there was "no other choice" after the failure of months of efforts to bring the two sides in Belfast's power-sharing assembly together. "My strong preference would be for a restored executive in Northern Ireland to take forward its own budget," he told MPs during a debate. Brokenshire, who has warned for weeks that Westminster would be forced to step in, said the budget was needed to keep public services running. "If this is not direct rule, this is getting perilously close to it," Owen Smith, Labour's shadow Northern Ireland secretary, told MPs. "The issues under discussion — particularly those on language and culture — go to the heart of the divisions in society in Northern Ireland and so agreement on them is always going to be very challenging," he said.

Source: Daily Nation November 14, 2017 04:07 UTC