Stormont's top two parties remained at daggers-drawn last night despite reports of further progress at talks in London.

Sinn Fein and the DUP continued to swap public barbs while their leaderships joined in fresh negotiations with Gordon Brown in Downing Street, just 24 hours after his visit to Belfast.

DUP leader Peter Robinson and senior republican Martin McGuinness made separate statements afterwards, after spending almost an hour-and-a-half negotiating together.

And the First and Deputy First Ministers are due back at Downing Street within the next few days, possibly before the end of the week — which will be their sixth session with Mr Brown in just over a month.

Government sources said Mr Brown yesterday edged both sides closer together as they work through the detail of scores of funding issues still to be resolved.

The resumed talks at Downing Street — which Mr Brown had to leave for a period for a telephone call — ended without any overall breakthrough, but officials claimed progress had been made.

A senior Government source said: “We are moving forward. At every meeting progress is being made and our intention has been to maintain the momentum. If diaries can be sorted out, they will be meeting again in the next few days.”

After the meeting, which began around 4pm, Mr Robinson said that progress had been made but there was still a way to go over outstanding financial issues.

Mr McGuinness said the negotiations were “at a crucial point” but all parties had agreed to meet again over the next few days.

Emerging from discussions with the Prime Minister in Downing Street, Mr Robinson said further progress had been made but more was needed.

“I think we made considerable progress during the course of today on financial matters but there is still a significant financial issue that has not been addressed in my view as yet, and has to be before there can be an agreement.”

Mr McGuinness was also convinced more progress had been made towards an agreement.

“This is a work in progress, it is at a critical stage, but I believe that all of this is doable. I am more convinced about that in the aftermath of the meeting we had today.”