Sinn Féin’s Martin McGuinness, and former deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland, died on Monday aged 66. It was reported that he had been suffering from a rare heart condition. His funeral took place in Derry-Londonderry on Thursday. Former US President Bill Clinton, who helped broker the 1998 Good Friday Agreement also attended, and in a speech urged Northern Ireland’s political parties to complete Mr McGuinness’ work and restore the power-sharing institutions. Click here to read Northern Slant Deputy Editor Jamie Pow’s round-up of the reaction to Mr McGuinness’ death.

Sinn Féin said inter-party negotiations at Stormont have not been successful; ahead of Monday 27 March’s deadline to appoint a new Executive, the party said it will not nominate Michelle O’Neill as deputy First Minister. Meanwhile, Alliance Party leader Naomi Long said the possibility of a multi-party Executive was lessening, and told her party’s annual conference that another election would be a “vanity project”. If negotiations do not reach a successful conclusion by 4pm on Monday, Northern Ireland faces the potential of another snap election. Click here to read James McMordie’s post, published on Saturday: Who does a second election benefit?

Robin Swann is set to become the next leader of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), ahead of the party’s AGM on 8 April. Mr Swann was the only candidate when the deadline for nominations to succeed Mike Nesbitt closed. Speaking to the BBC, Mr Swann said unionism needs “champions for the union… Unionism has a lot to offer but it’s also making that union attractive to everybody in Northern Ireland so they know the benefits that are there and it’s about promoting a positive unionism, a non-threatening unionism and a unionism that can move forward and be progressive”.

Four people were killed and 50 injured by Westminster and London Bridge on Wednesday when an attacker drove his car into people before stabbing a police officer outside Parliament. Metropolitan Police said that the attacker acted alone and there is no information to suggest further attacks are planned. Prime Minister Theresa May described the attack as one against free people all over the world. In the House of Commons, she told MPs: “We will never waver in the face of terrorism.”

The government announced it will formally trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty on Wednesday 29 March, commencing the formal process of the UK leaving the European Union. Meanwhile, UKIP’s only MP Douglas Carswell announced he is quitting the party to become an independent. He defected from the Conservative Party in 2014. Mr Carswell described his departure from UKIP as amicable, but former party leader Nigel Farage tweeted, “Carswell has jumped before he was pushed. He was never UKIP and sought to undermine us. He should have gone some time ago.”