Northern Ireland Forum suspended

The Northern Ireland Forum is to be suspended, the Government announced yesterday.

Sir Patrick Mayhew, the retiring Secretary of State, said it would be up to his successor to consider reviving the forum, set up last June just before the start of the multi-party talks on the future of Northern Ireland. Those discussions have been adjourned until 3 June, once the general election and the Northern Ireland local government elections are out of the way.