British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will meet the leaders of Stormont's five main political parties in Belfast tonight.
Mr Sunak is apparently in the city to attend a Northern Ireland Conservative Party Christmas gathering and the meeting with Stormont's political leaders was a late addition to his diary, rather than a pre-planned event.
At least one of the party leaders had to hastily cancel another scheduled event to be able to attend due to the short notice given.
The planning is said to have changed throughout the day with the original plan to hold the meeting in Stormont, before it was later changed to an hotel.
Details of the time and location were not finalised until late afternoon.
The level of planning, or rather the lack of it, does not suggest the meeting signals a breakthrough in efforts to restore power sharing at Stormont.
Downing Street said Mr Sunak is in Northern Ireland to "mark the return of naval shipbuildng."
Last month the British Ministry of Defence announced British-led Team Resolute as its preferred bidder for a £1.6bn contract to develop and build the next generation of Royal Navy Solid Support Ships, with the complete entire final assembly for all three ships at Harland & Wolff shipyard in Belfast.
The statement said that during a visit from this evening until tomorrow Mr Sunak will meet with businesses and communities as well as political leaders.
Northern Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris met the parties earlier today to discuss the continuing political deadlock.
Speaking after meeting him, Sinn Féin's leader in Northern Ireland and Stormont's First Minister designate Michelle O'Neill said Mr Heaton-Harris was "bereft of a plan" and had not put forward any concrete proposals for restoring the Stormont Executive or resolving the Protocol dispute.
She said the Secretary of State had confirmed that Mr Sunak is to hold a reception for the parties tonight, adding: "I have no desire to have tea and sympathy with the prime minister, what I want to see are political outcomes."
