Talks to secure a deal to transfer policing and justice powers to Stormont will continue this afternoon at Downing Street after a full day of meetings at Stormont failed to conclude a deal.
These will be the fifth talks involving British prime minister Gordon Brown convened to address the devolution of powers which is keenly sought by Sinn Féin but is being treated with continuing caution by unionists.
Mr Brown spent yesterday in talks with the DUP, Sinn Féin, Alliance, the Ulster Unionists and the SDLP. A British government source said afterwards: “Good progress was made here today. We met the First Minister and Deputy First Minister, as well as the party leaders for a series of meetings. The issue was to try to maintain the momentum.”
The Irish Timesunderstands today's reconvened talks in Downing Street are being seen as evidence of gaps being closed and as recognition that tensions still exist between Martin McGuinness and Peter Robinson.
Sinn Féin indicated yesterday its belief that Mr Brown would not allow budgetary concerns to derail any possible deal.
Mr McGuinness later said in the Assembly: “At the meeting I have just left with Gordon Brown, he had made it clear that he wants to ensure that the issue of finance isn’t a blockage to the process moving forward.” He insisted an agreement to transfer powers should be finalised “sooner rather than later”, a position echoed by SDLP leader Mark Durkan.
Earlier Mr McGuinness pressed Mr Robinson to confront what he called “the 12 angry men” within the DUP who, he claimed, were opposed to a deal on justice.
Mr Robinson, also the DUP leader, met the prime minister with a large party delegation which included some Assembly members who have spoken against imminent devolution of justice powers. “I have not seen any angry men in the DUP,” he said. “I have seen some irritable characters in Sinn Féin.”
After his talks with Mr Brown, Mr Robinson said he was immune to pressure to conclude an early deal and portrayed his party as calm, unified and unruffled by the British government’s clear drive for a deal and Sinn Féin’s criticisms.
Asked about the deteriorating relations between him and Mr McGuinness, he said: “I was not elected to be a buddy for Martin McGuinness, I was elected to work with him and that is why I am here.”
Alliance leader David Ford called on both Mr McGuinness and Mr Robinson to “stop bickering”. He said that agreement on a policy programme for the justice department was just as important as the budget. Citing the handling of education policy since devolution and the controversy over abolition of the 11-plus transfer test, he warned that justice must be securely devolved.
Mr Ford said: “This was a productive meeting. I believe that Gordon Brown can see the need for the justice ministry to be able to get to work the minute justice is devolved. No matter which party the future minister comes from, they need an agreed policy programme to ensure they can deliver from the first day of their tenure.”
Sir Reg Empey warned that the Ulster Unionists “will not sign up to a deal on policing which we have not been privy to. We were not part of any understanding either at the St Andrews talks, or subsequently, and have no knowledge of any such agreements or understandings.
“The UUP is not opposed to the devolution of policing and justice,” he added. “However, this should only occur when the circumstances are right and we have a broad and shared understanding amongst the parties.”