'Govt will not stand in the way of consensus': Blair

British Prime Minister Tony Blair's spokesman said the British government would not stand in the way of a new consensus on the way forward in the North.

He made clear any prospect of emergency legislation to resurrect the Assembly depended on the outcome of the DUP-Sinn Féin meeting.

But he added: “Let us be clear – if there’s a consensus about the way forward the British government isn’t going to stand in the way of that consensus.

“The important thing is there has to be an agreed way forward. If that’s in prospect then we will do everything we can to comply with that.”

He dismissed any notion that the government’s credibility would suffer if today’s deadline were breached or amended.

“What’s important is that you distinguish between process and outcome. The deadline was always designed to get us to the point where you have a power-sharing executive.”