The Northern Ireland Assembly will today decide whether David Trimble will be re-elected as First Minister.

David Trimble remains on course to return as North's First Minister. The Ulster Unionist leader is likely to resume his post despite attempts by rival unionists to undermine his election.

The Belfast High Court has dismissed a DUP challenge to Northern Secretary John Reid’s decision to allow a re-run of the vote to elect David Trimble as First Minister, despite the fact that the legal deadline for such a vote passed at midnight on Saturday.

UUP leader David Trimble will have to wait until tomorrow to find out if he can be re-elected as the North’s new First Minister after a unionist petition halted the vote today.

Alliance leader David Ford was today preparing to be the back end of a ‘‘pantomime horse’’ to get David Trimble re-elected Northern Ireland First Minister.

The Northern Assembly is expected to reinstate David Trimble as First Minister later today thanks to the re-designation of the non-aligned Alliance Party.

The North’s First Minister David Trimble has repeated his determination to cause a crisis in the institutions if decommissioning is not delivered.

Votes are continuing to be counted in the Northern council elections with the DUP still making gains on the Ulster Unionists.

A hardline unionist minister in the North's Executive today insisted the British Government and David Trimble needed to acknowledge that the majority of unionists were opposed to the Good Friday Agreement.

The North's First Minister David Trimble said he is confident of retaining the leadership of the Ulster Unionist Party despite his party's poor performance in the recent elections.

Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble was today preparing for talks in London with Prime Minister Tony Blair as a question mark hung over his political future.

Former Ulster Unionist MP William Ross today branded party leader David Trimble "a liability".

Local Government election counts which could decide if David Trimble faces a bid to oust him as Ulster Unionist Party chief were getting under way today.