Northern Ireland Election to Be Held This Year If Executive Not Formed
- Vote likely to be around Dec. 8 or 15, Heaton-Harris says
- DUP has been refusing to join government over post-Brexit deal
Chris Heaton-Harris
Photographer: Chris J. Ratcliffe/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
A local election in Northern Ireland will be held this year if the region’s power-sharing government is not restored before the end of October, UK Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris said Tuesday.
The Democratic Unionist party is currently refusing to participate in the government unless the UK moves to override the post-Brexit agreement which keeps Northern Ireland in the EU’s single market. Unionists object to the deal because they believe it treats the region differently to the rest of the UK. If a government is not formed by Oct. 28, Heaton-Harris will call a fresh election.