How Northern Ireland's political crisis could impact Brexit
There is a real possibility that instability at Stormont could make it difficult for Theresa May to stick to her Brexit timetable.
Monday 16 January 2017 01:26, UK
Could the political crisis in Northern Ireland stall Brexit?
The short answer is: no one knows.
The Supreme Court has yet to rule on whether or not devolved parliaments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland should have a vote on triggering Article 50.
If it decides that they should, the absence of an administration at Stormont could delay the process.
The Northern Ireland Secretary, James Brokenshire, has said Article 50 - the formal mechanism by which a country begins to leave the European Union - will be invoked according to the timetable set out by the Prime Minister.
But Naomi Long, leader of the cross-community Alliance Party, disagrees - arguing that Theresa May faces a potential legal challenge from politicians in Northern Ireland.
The collapse of the coalition - after 10 years of power-sharing - will result in an election, just seven months after the last one.
Political parties will then have three weeks to reach agreement on a new power-sharing government and to nominate First and Deputy First Ministers.
If they are unable to do that, the British Government may have no option but to rush through legislation to temporarily suspend devolution and reinstate direct rule from Westminster.
In short, there is a very real possibility that there will be no Assembly in place when a vote needs to be taken on Brexit.
In this scenario, any attempt by the Prime Minister to invoke Article 50 without Stormont's permission would almost certainly result in court action.
It could take months for the court to decide whether or not Brexit needs to wait for the establishment of a new government in Northern Ireland.
Northern Ireland has dropped down the British Government's priority list since the Good Friday Agreement of 1998.
With political crisis there potentially impacting Brexit, it could return to the top fairly swiftly.