Hain again warns about failure to meet North deadline

Northern Secretary Peter Hain has reiterated his warning about the consequences of the North's political parties failing to meet the November 24 devolution deadline.

In a speech to the Labour Party conference in Manchester today, Mr Hain warned again that the various parties, particularly the DUP, were facing an historic choice between the future and the past.

The Irish and British governments have given the parties until November 24 to agree a deal on restoring devolution or face the indefinite suspension of the Northern Assembly.

However, the prospects for progress look grim, with the DUP still refusing to share power with Sinn Féin and rejecting the importance of the Irish-British deadline.

In his speech today, Mr Hain warned that the looming deadline was real and that the opportunity to restore devolution may be lost for several years.

"If there is no deal by the 24th, the Assembly will be dissolved the following week," he said, "and that is the real moment of truth for Northern Ireland's politicians because they all know that the opportunity to try again may not come around for years."