Expectations of an autumn assembly election faded last night (Thursday) after it was confirmed that up to 100 civil servants are to leave Stormont.
Politicians said they feared a "wholesale clearout" and questioned the British government's commitment to an early return to devolution.
Fears were heightened after the Northern Ireland Office confirmed that civil servants who had been seconded to the assembly when it was established were told they were to return to their original departments.
An NIO spokeswoman said the move would not affect all civil servants seconded to the assembly and that the
staff would return to the assembly when required.
But the SDLP's John Dallat accused the British government of effectively "pulling the plug" on the assembly.
"The NIO is engaged in a wholesale clearout of Stormont and nationalists will be asking what this says about the government's commitment to re-establish power-sharing institutions," he said.
Former Sinn Féin assembly member Conor Murphy claimed the decision to transfer civil servants was a sign that the government had no plans to hold elections in the near future.
"Moving civil servants out of the assembly shows that they have decided to shut Stormont down and return to direct rule. This is entirely the wrong message to send out to the community at this time," he said.
