Britain will not hold new N.Ireland Elections next week

BELFAST, Reuters – Britain’s Northern Ireland minister said Thursday that he would be taking time to decide whether to call for fresh elections. The announcement came as London and Brussels continued talks on revising post Brexit trade rules in the region.

In November, the British government pushed back the deadline for holding what would have been the second election in Northern Ireland within one year. This was done to allow room for progress in negotiations between Britain and EU.

A 12-week clock was set up to hold the election under the legislation. Chris Heaton Harris said that he wouldn’t be calling an election next Tuesday.

“I have 12 weeks to reflect on what I need to do,” Heaton-Harris told reporters after talks with Irish Foreign Minister Michéal Martin.

Since February last year, Northern Ireland has been without an independent power-sharing government. This boycott was initiated by the pro-British Democratic Unionist Party. It was in protest against post-Brexit controls on goods that are being moved from the United Kingdom to Northern Ireland.

After an election in May, Sinn Fein, the largest Irish nationalist party, they refused to return.

(Reporting done by Amanda Ferguson, written by Padraic Hutton in Dublin