Poll date deferred amid claims EU and UK near agreement on some controversial Brexit arrangements
Fresh elections for the Northern Ireland assembly have been put back to the new year amid claims that the EU and the UK are close to agreement on some elements of the controversial Brexit arrangements that have caused a Democratic Unionist party (DUP) boycott of Stormont.
The Northern Ireland secretary, Chris Heaton-Harris, said he had listened to concerns about the impact and cost of an election and confirmed there would be no elections before Christmas.