Warring tribes: Prime ministers abandon efforts to end impasse

POWER sharing was hanging by a thread last night as Brian Cowen and his British counterpart abandoned their effort to end the Northern crisis over policing and parades.

The two leaders’ push to force through a compromise deal during their marathon three-day direct intervention at Hillsborough Castle fell apart as Sinn Féin and the DUP pulled the plug on the proposed blueprint.

Gordon Brown and the Taoiseach refused to admit defeat, but their 48-hour deadline for the parties to agree a compromise looked likely to fail as Sinn Féin and the DUP immediately began blaming each other for the impasse.