North crisis as Assembly votes down welfare deal

Northern Ireland’s faltering power-sharing Executive has lurched towards another crisis after the Assembly voted down a bid to implement welfare reforms in the region.

The fall of the already long-delayed proposed legislation, prompted by SinnFéin and SDLP opposition, leaves the stumbling administration facing a budgetary black hole estimated at around £600m (€848m).

Unless political leaders can agree a lasting deal on welfare in the coming days and weeks, there is the very real prospect of a senior civil servant stepping in to take over departmental spends later in the summer, under tight financial constraints.