Sinn Féin has said the British government has informed the party it will be making no further efforts to restore Stormont powersharing until after May's council elections.
The party's leader in Northern Ireland Michelle O'Neill claimed Northern Ireland Secretary Karen Bradley had also confirmed, during a phone call this morning, her intention to activate a five-month extension to her legal obligation to call a fresh Assembly election in Northern Ireland.
Under legislation introduced last year, Mrs Bradley is theoretically under a legal duty to call an election if devolved ministers are not in place by the end of March.
"She (Mrs Bradley) will move forward with her legislation, she is going to lay it on Thursday, that legislation will buy her another five months," Ms O'Neill said.
Ms O'Neill asked what purpose the five-month extension would serve.
"Will it be to do more of the same? Because for the past two years Karen Bradley and her government have done absolutely nothing to have a successful outcome to any process to restore powersharing and this has all been about their relationship with the DUP," she said.
She added: "She phoned to confirm that they aren't going to make any effort whatsoever until after the local government elections in order to try to restore powersharing.
"She talking about uncertainties in the political situation, obviously Brexit being the reason behind that.
"I told her I didn't accept that. I told her that wasn't good enough, that her government has prioritised its relationship with the DUP, it's prioritised its own survival over having locally elected institutions here up and running and serving the people."
