DUP leader urged to nominate deputy first minister to restore Northern Ireland Executive

The US and Irish administrations have also urged parties to take the necessary steps to re-establish a powersharing executive

Britain's Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis (right) has urged DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson to nominate a deputy First Minister as Simon Coveney (left) said the Irish Government will do “everything we can to support the parties to find a way of ensuring that an executive can be set up and function”. File picture: Julien Behal

Britain's Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis has urged DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson to nominate a deputy first minister to allow resumption of fully functioning devolved government.

Mr Lewis was speaking hours after the conclusion of a Stormont election which saw an historic victory for Sinn Féin to become the largest party and win the entitlement to nominate a first minister.