Sinn Féin supports North’s budget plan

Fears of an imminent crash of power-sharing in the North have receded somewhat after Sinn Féin backed a budget plan that pushes the crunch point further down the tracks.

The republican party has offered “conditional support” to a spending plan, dubbed by some as the “fantasy budget”, that commits the Stormont Executive to a £600m overspend for the rest of the financial year.