Northern Ireland's DUP has been accused of pursuing a 'scorched earth' strategy, after it blocked election of a new speaker at the Stormont assembly.
The assembly has failed to elect a speaker, plunging the next few months into uncertainty.
The Democratic Unionist Party blocked proposed appointments from the UUP and SDLP, meaning the parliament there can't conduct any business.
The DUP say they won't change their stance until there's been reform of the Northern Ireland Protocol as a result of Brexit.
Andrew Muir is an MLA for the Alliance Party. He says the DUP seems to want to do as much damage as possible.
"It does seem that the DUP are going for a scorched earth strategy here really in Northern Ireland - collapsing all the forms of devolution for their own party political interests.
"These are the people who fought for, and perused, the hardest of Brexits - and now they're bemoaning the consequences of that.
"They need to own the consequences of that, and they need to pull back from this.
"The negotiations between the EU and the UK government are continuing... but punishing the people of Northern Ireland it really is absolutely shameful".
