Stormont assembly suspended

Two Labour MPs have been appointed to John Reid's ministerial team in Belfast as the Northern Ireland Secretary today confirmed the re-introduction of direct rule from London.

The power–sharing executive and Stormont Assembly are to be suspended from midnight after the Government refused Ulster Unionist demands to expel Sinn Fein's two ministers in the aftermath of the IRA spying allegations.

The British and Irish governments are to press for an immediate resumption of all–party talks in a bid to get the process up and running again but it could be months – even years – before devolution is restored.

This is the fourth time the administration has been suspended since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in April 1998, and the Stormont Assembly is expected to be thick with recrimination for this afternoon's final session.

At Hillsborough Castle, Co Down, Dr Reid blamed a loss of trust on both sides of the community for the difficulties.

He declared: "The time has come for people to face up to the choice between violence and democracy."

Dr Reid said the date for next May's elections to the Assembly still stood.

He added: "We have come an enormous distance in recent years. The peace process and the Agreement have increased prosperity, revitalised society, safeguarded rights and above all, saved lives. I am determined that these benefits should not be lost, but should increase.

"The Agreement remains a template for political process here in Northern Ireland. I hope the decision I have taken today marks a breathing space – a chance to gather strength – before that process moves forward once again."

The appointment of the two new ministers – Angela Smith (Basildon) and Ian Pearson (Dudley South) brings to five the number who will now run Northern Ireland's affairs for the foreseeable future.