PETER ROBINSON and Martin McGuinness talked money with British prime minister Gordon Brown at Downing Street last night ahead of today's resumption of the Northern Ireland Executive at Stormont.
The First and Deputy First Ministers refused to be drawn on the specifics of their discussion with Mr Brown, just 24 hours after they concluded an agreement to permit the eventual devolution of policing and justice powers to the Northern Ireland Assembly.
However there was speculation that major announcements could follow today's Executive meeting - the first for some five months - about water rates and a multi-million pound package on civil service back pay. Before flying back to Belfast, Mr Robinson said: "We feel it is our first duty to report to our Executive colleagues, and we are happy to be able to do that."
Mr Robinson and Mr McGuinness were accompanied by Regional Development Minister Conor Murphy and Finance Minister Nigel Dodds. The question of financing the new policing and justice deal was left for a further meeting, with yesterday's session providing an opportunity to focus on wider issues arising from the global economic downturn.
In her speech at the London School of Economics last night,President Mary McAleese welcomed "the spirit of partnership and mutual respect" underlying the political breakthrough announced by Mr Robinson and Mr McGuinness on Tuesday.
Northern Secretary of State Shaun Woodward also hailed the agreement as "historic" during Northern Ireland Questions in the House of Commons, although DUP MP and Stormont Minister Gregory Campbell insisted "one of the lessons" of the recent political impasse "is that you stand up to unreasonable demands by Sinn Féin."
Strangford MP Iris Robinson asked Mr Woodward if he would agree that Northern Ireland's "transition to democracy" would only be complete "when government moves from a mandatory to a voluntary coalition". Mr Woodward said he was "tempted to say we should walk before we can run".