article: He spoke after another day of talks between the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and Sinn Féin ended with no deal. Theresa May phoned DUP leader Arlene Foster and Sinn Féin's northern leader, Michelle O'Neill on Friday evening. The PM told them her government was committed to doing all it could to help parties reach a successful conclusion. A No 10 spokesperson said Mrs Foster and Mrs O'Neill "both agreed on the need for the executive to be restored for the benefit of everyone in Northern Ireland". "The Prime Minister recognised that constructive discussions had taken place between the parties and urged them both to come together reach a collective agreement so that devolved government could be restored in Northern Ireland." The BBC understands the latest round of Stormont talks ended at about 19:30 BST on Friday, breaking up fairly abruptly and not in a positive mood. Sinn Féin said no progress was made but added talks will resume on Saturday. Speaking on the BBC's Any Questions programme, Mr Brokenshire said: "We've obviously had an extended period where Northern Ireland has not had politicians making decisions. "The Northern Ireland Civil Service has effectively been running the show here. That cannot continue for an extended period, for much longer. "I've already had to make certain statements over the budget to ensure that civil servants are able to do their job, so yes, it is about that focus on what now needs to happen." When the parties missed a government deadline on Thursday, the secretary of state extended the talks over the weekend, in the hope that a deal will be struck by Monday, when he is due to make a statement on Stormont's future. Earlier, Sinn Féin called for the British and Irish prime ministers to become directly involved in the talks process. The party said the DUP had not moved on a number of issues, including an Irish language act, same-sex marriage, a Bill of Rights and measures to deal with the legacy of the Troubles. Sinn Féin's Conor Murphy said it was a "source of frustration" there had been no closing of the gap between the parties throughout the day. He claimed that the DUP "haven't yet accepted what brought down the institutions in the first place". But the DUP's Christopher Stalford said Sinn Féin had presented a "shopping list" of demands and was refusing to go back into government until they had received every item on their list. His party colleague, Edwin Poots, rejected a call for the prime ministers to get involved and said Sinn Féin knows what is required and "don't need anyone to hold their hands". Mr Poots said Thursday's missed deadline meant Stormont was now "operating on a 95% budget, which is essentially a 5% cut across all of the departments". The DUP MLA described this as "far greater austerity than any Conservative ever imposed upon the Northern Ireland public". "Whilst we understand that Irish language is hugely important to Sinn Féin - health, education, jobs, the economy, infrastructure, environment, agriculture - all of these issues are
summary: The absence of devolved government in Northern Ireland "cannot continue for much longer," Secretary of State James Brokenshire has said.