he only way a functioning Northern Ireland executive will be reconstituted after the Assembly election is if the DUP win, the SDLP leader has warned.
Colum Eastwood was commenting on the ongoing uncertainty over whether the DUP would nominate someone for deputy First Minister if it came second in the poll and Sinn Fein emerged as the largest party.
Neither the DUP or the UUP have been willing to confirm whether they would serve as deputy First Minister to a Sinn Fein First Minister.
The Executive effectively collapsed earlier this month when the DUP pulled out First Minister Paul Givan in protest at the Northern Ireland Protocol.
The administration is now only operating in shadow format and cannot take any significant decisions.
Mr Eastwood was speaking after a meeting with Irish Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney in Belfast.
Asked about the prospects of a properly functioning executive being reformed after May’s Assembly election, he said: “I think the reality is that (DUP leader)…
