Stormont crisis deepening - Ford

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The Alliance Party leader has warned the crisis at Stormont is deepening.

Speaking at his party's annual conference, David Ford attacked what he called a dysfunctional Executive.

Mr Ford is widely tipped to become the Stormont justice minister if the transfer of powers from Westminster can be agreed.

However, he said the policy must be got right and condemned the parties for failing to deliver a shared vision.

"Matters got worse when Peter Robinson replaced Ian Paisley as first minister," Mr Ford said.

"We didn't have the good personal relationship any longer and we still saw no progress by the Executive on tackling the difficult issues, just more of the same and the same was not very much.

"Politics remains in a crisis and that crisis is deepening."

Mr Ford said the Conservative Party's claim to be non-sectarian and progressive had already been brought into question by its links to the Ulster Unionist Party.

He said it would sink without trace if it concluded an electoral pact with the DUP.

<i>The BBC website will be streaming the conference live, with coverage beginning at 1030 GMT on Saturday.</i>

<i>BBC Northern Ireland political editor Mark Devenport will also interview Mr Ford on the Inside Politics programme on Radio Ulster at 1305 GMT on Sunday.</i>