Gordon Brown was today telling Stormont’s squabbling parties that inward investment will be damaged by on-going political instability.

In a stark message the Prime Minister was warning the power-sharing partners not to put overseas economic investment at risk.

Telling MLAs gathering in the Assembly chamber that cash flowing in to the province from across the globe is dependent on political stability, Mr Brown was also expected to emphasise the need to make progress with devolution — stressing “now is the time”.

It was a theme Downing Street said will be strongly reinforced in the private talks due to be held with the First Minister, Deputy First Minister and party leaders immediately after his speech.

Although his address will also be used to give MLAs a “pat on the back” for the progress that has been made the focus will be on the need to complete the final steps of devolution.

The party leaders will be told that handing over criminal justice powers is what the majority of people now want but Mr Brown will not lay down a deadline.

After talks this afternoon with First Minister Peter Robinson and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness, Mr Brown was due to meet the leaders of the five main parties — including Alliance boss David Ford — and urge progress on the pivotal issue of policing and justice powers.

Both meetings were likely, however, to last only half an hour and not expected to result in any early breakthrough. His short visit, which has been organised for several months, is part of a tour of the regions in the run up to Labour’s annual conference this Saturday.

Following the recent Independent Monitoring Commission report, however, Mr Brown believes there should be no obstacle preventing the transfer of policing and justice powers from Westminster.

The party leaders, the DUP’s Mr Robinson, Sinn Fein’s Gerry Adams, Ulster Unionist chief Sir Reg Empey and SDLP supremo Mark Durkan as well as Mr Ford were poised to urge the Prime Minister for extra cash to help pay for the deferral of water charges for a further year.

And they have been trying for several months to ensure the devolution of policing and justice is underpinned by sufficient funding to pay for the new Department and meet a perceived shortfall in the PSNI budget.

The three-hour trip was due to begin at Northern Ireland’s largest private sector company, Bombardier, where he was due to be met by chairman Sir George Quigley and Economy Minister Arlene Foster.