The Minister for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan and the Northern Secretary Theresa Villiers are meeting the five main Northern Ireland parties this afternoon in an attempt to break the stalemate that is threatening the Stormont Executive and Assembly.

They arrive at Stormont House with the North’s two main parties, the DUP and Sinn Féin, still at loggerheads over how the welfare reform impasse might be resolved.

The DUP continues to warn that if the Northern Executive remains deadlocked then the British government must take over responsibility for welfare. DUP deputy leader Nigel Dodds repeated that the Executive's failure to agree a budget will result in an untenable financial deficit of more £600 million for the rest of this financial year.

The Sinn Féin Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness said he would not be a party to the implementation of “Tory cuts”.

Mr Flanagan and Ms Villiers will seek to determine if there is any room for compromise.