The DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson warned on Friday that his party may not go back into government after an election if issues around the Northern Ireland protocol are not addressed.
Mr Donaldson's comments cast doubt over the prospects of a short-term resolution to the political crisis triggered by the resignation of his party colleague Paul Givan as First Minister.
“If the protocol issues are not resolved by the time of the election, then of course it is difficult for us to form a government because of the instability that the protocol creates,” Mr Donaldson told the BBC.
He said he had made his position clear and there was now an “opportunity for the UK Government and the EU to step up to the mark and to deliver an agreement that resolves these issues that can be done quickly.”
Mr Givan quit as First Minister on Thursday as part of the DUP’s campaign against the Northern Ireland protocol, which it opposes.
His resignation meant the Deputy First Minister, Michelle O’Neill of Sinn Féin, also ceased to hold office. Ministers cannot sit in the Northern Executive and no new or significant legislation can be passed.
Legislation due to be passed at Westminster next week - which will apply retrospectively - means the Assembly will continue to sit and other ministers remain in post for six weeks, which can be extended.
An Assembly election is due to take place in the North in May. The DUP and Sinn Féin have said the Northern Secretary should call an early election, but the other parties in the Executive want Brandon Lewis to stick to the existing date.
This would allow more time for legislation in the pipeline at Stormont to be passed before the Assembly rises for the election.
The Northern Secretary has given no indication that he is minded to call an early election and has said the DUP should immediately reinstate Mr Givan.
A UK government spokesman told The Irish Times last night that “our immediate priority is to restore political stability in Northern Ireland at the earliest possible moment.
"The Northern Ireland Assembly elections are due to take place on the 5th May 2022," he said.
The leaders of the DUP, Sinn Féin, SDLP and Alliance met virtually on Friday to discuss how to speed up the progress of outstanding bills.
Almost 30 pieces of legislation - which propose laws around issues including climate change and organ donation - are making their way through the Assembly and must be completed before the current mandate ends.
They agreed party whips will meet next week to consider how the items of business might be speeded up.
The Minister for Health, Robin Swann, is expected to provide an update "in the coming days" after seeking legal advice regarding the decisions on the remaining Covid-19 rules which were due to be taken by the Executive next week.
On Friday evening about 100 community activists protested outside Belfast City Hall to show their opposition to Mr Givan's resignation.
Kellie Turtle, from Reclaim the Agenda, said: "We were shaken and devastated by the news that came through this week because we have so much work to do, to catch up on after the three years of no government here.
“There was a lot of anger and we just felt like it is not good enough that these things are played out as issues of politics detached from the day to day issues that affect people’s lives,” she said. - Additional reporting PA
