BRITISH PRIME minister Gordon Brown has called Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness to talks tomorrow at Downing Street.
They will be accompanied by leaders of the other devolved assemblies in Edinburgh and Cardiff as well as the Northern secretary and the Scottish and Welsh secretaries.
The purpose of the meeting was not confirmed last night, but it is thought the heads of the devolved bodies will discuss with the prime minister the economic downturn and the need for an appropriate response.
The Northern Ireland Office said the talks would amount to something “more than a briefing” and could set the scene for an action plan to deal with the worsening financial situation throughout the UK. Officials from the Stormont finance department are understood not to be travelling along with the First and Deputy First Minister.
The calling of the meeting could be linked with Scottish first minister Alex Salmond’s seeking talks with Mr Brown, Stormont sources suggested. The Irish Times was told Downing Street might prefer to hold talks between Mr Brown and Mr Salmond in the context of a meeting of all the devolved administrations. Members of the devolved administrations held talks with the British government at a meeting of the British-Irish Council in Cardiff last week.
Asked why this forum could not have provided a context for talks between Mr Salmond and the British government, it was suggested that the attendance at the council of representatives from the Isle of Man, Jersey and Guernsey meant that Downing Street opted for talks tomorrow.
Deputy First Minister Mr McGuinness, due to travel to London for the talks, told the Assembly yesterday that his party had succeeded in realising the potential of the Belfast Agreement.
Challenged by the SDLP’s Alban Maginness on its record working alongside the DUP, Mr McGuinness said Sinn Féin had succeeded in bringing about “a fully inclusive Executive.”
“The SDLP under two previous deputy first ministers never managed to bring about a situation where all the parties would be at the Executive table. We did and I think that’s very important.”
He claimed “the political situation in the North of Ireland has been transformed by the decisions taken by both the DUP and Sinn Féin”.