He also said the option of cutting MLAs' pay remains 'on the table'.
Northern Ireland Secretary Shailesh Vara has said he is determined to do everything he possibly can to avoid a fresh Stormont election in the autumn.
The Assembly will sit on Tuesday to attempt for a third time since May’s election to elect a new Speaker following a recall motion by the SDLP. “I want to work with all the political parties to make sure that we can move forward, but if tough decisions have to be taken then you will find that this Secretary of State is not afraid to take them.”
Mr Vara also responded to media reports claiming that when he previously served as a junior minister in the Northern Ireland Office, he had asked an official "whether he needed a passport to go to Derry"."But we now sadly live in a world where people can put out fake news and then it just escalates in the world of social media… I can confirm it is utter and absolute nonsense," he said.
Speaking about his party’s recall petition, SDLP MLA Matthew O’Toole said: “At a time when working households are facing a real emergency, there is no justification for those continuing to hold our democratic institutions to ransom for their own cheap political games." Mr Vara said the UK government was keen to have a negotiated settlement with the European Union over the Protocol.
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