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Image source, PA Media
Another election to the Stormont assembly could be called if power-sharing is not restored by Friday
Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris is to hold talks with Stormont party leaders as the deadline to restore an executive draws closer.
On Tuesday Mr Heaton-Harris was reappointed to the role in new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's cabinet.
The MP for Daventry was first appointed in September by Liz Truss.
He has repeatedly urged for the Northern Ireland Executive to be formed before 28 October or an assembly election would be called.
Friday is the legal deadline for restoring the power-sharing executive.
If this deadline is missed another election would have to take place within 12 weeks.
The formation of the executive has been blocked since May's assembly election by the Democratic Unionist Party's (DUP) refusal to nominate for the position of deputy first minister.
The assembly is to be recalled on Thursday after Sinn Féin and the Alliance Party backed a motion to debate the cost-of-living crisis.
They are calling on the DUP to support the election of a new speaker and stop blocking the formation of an executive.
Image source, PA Media
Image caption,Chris Heaton-Harris kept his place as Northern Ireland secretary in the cabinet reshuffle
The DUP has refused to return to Stormont as part of its protest against the Northern Ireland Protocol, a part of the Brexit deal which keeps Northern Ireland aligned with some EU trade rules.
That has ensured free trade across the Irish land border but also added new checks to the movement of some goods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
As Rishi Sunak announced his new cabinet on Tuesday, DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson warned that if the new prime minister wanted to see the executive return he would have to deal with the protocol "once and for all".
He urged the prime minister to find a solution which "recognises that progress is only made in Northern Ireland with the support of unionists and nationalists".
Mr Heaton-Harris, who like the DUP supported Brexit, has said he is "100% committed" to the election timetable and has denied he would "backtrack" and delay a poll.
Sinn Féin vice-president Michelle O'Neill confirmed that she would be meeting Mr Heaton-Harris in Belfast on Wednesday.
Restoration of the Executive is the number one priority to help workers and families.
I will be meeting the reappointed SoS @chhcalling in Belfast tomorrow.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.View original tweet on Twitter
What happens if the deadline is missed?
The rules state that the Northern Ireland secretary must call an election "as soon as is practicable".
That does not mean he must call an election on 28 October, contrary to what he has repeatedly said.
The rules do say the election must be held within 12 weeks, which would mean the second assembly election in the space of a year.
However previous deadlines in Northern Ireland have been adjusted by emergency legislation at Westminster.
The Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce warned that businesses were "at a tipping point" over rising costs.
A survey by the Londonderry Chamber of Commerce showed that three-quarters of respondents said it was "extremely important" to have the executive return to provide assistance.
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