There are signs that some of the Executive in tray is being cleared up before Paul Givan's expected resignation later.

The BBC understands the first and deputy first ministers have signed off on the energy grant scheme to help families with their bills.

It will provide grants of £200 to up to 280,000 eligible people on benefits.

The £50m funding package has been brought by the Communities Minister Deirdre Hargey.

Enda McClafferty
BBC News NI political editor

We got a sense that this was always going to happen - it was more a case of when.

This is part of a two-stage protest over the Northern Ireland Protocol, the first being Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots calling a halt to Irish Sea Border checks.

The party could announce Mr Givan will be stepping down with immediate effect or potentially at next week's executive meeting - where ministers will meet to discuss lifting Covid-19 regulations, a key date in the calendar.

It would mean the Northern Ireland Executive would be paralysed in terms of making any new decisions on policy directions.

Image source, Pacemaker

One piece of business that will get through is a grant scheme for energy costs.

The first and deputy first ministers have signed off on a plan to give 280,000 people £200 to help with their energy bills ahead of his expected resignation later.

Elsewhere, we know that there is a three-year budget out for consultation at the moment waiting to be approved by Stormont.

This will likely be the first casualty if this move goes ahead later.

There is also an apology coming for victims of historical abuse, and the appointment of a victims' commissioner could now also be in doubt.

There is a lot of discussion about what could come next in this process.

I have even heard the possibility we might even end up in an early election, perhaps coming before May, some time by the middle of March.

There is such flux in the system now that people are not really sure of how things are going to play out between now and what was the intended election date of 5 May.

Today's events at Stormont are part of the DUP's moves to oppose the Northern Ireland Protocol, which is part of the government's Brexit deal with the EU.

The DUP don't like the deal, saying it sets Northern Ireland apart from the rest of the UK and undermines its constitutional position.

But what is it?

The protocol allows lorries to deliver goods without having paperwork and goods checked when they cross the border from Northern Ireland into the Republic of Ireland.

This arrangement was easy to maintain before Brexit. When both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland were part of the EU, they automatically followed the same EU trade rules, which meant no checks were required.

However, a new arrangement was needed after Northern Ireland (along with the rest of the UK) left the EU. The EU has strict food rules and requires border checks when certain goods, such as milk and eggs, arrive from non-EU countries.

Similar rules exist in other areas, such as medicine licensing.

To try to get round the problem the UK and the EU negotiated the Northern Ireland Protocol, which is now part of international law.

Rather than checks taking place along the Irish border, it was agreed any inspections and document checks would take place between Northern Ireland and Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) instead.

Read more.

It seemed likely that the decision by DUP Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots last night to order a halt to post-Brexit checks on goods coming into Northern Ireland from Great Britain would dominate Thursday's news.

But developments at Belfast Port were quickly overshadowed by breaking news on The Nolan Show, revealing that DUP First Minister Paul Givan was to resign today.

The move has been foreshadowed.

DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has been threatening to withdraw his ministers from the Northern Ireland Executive since September over its opposition to the Northern Ireland Protocol.

Image source, PA

Mr Givan was appointed first minister in June 2021, during a turbulent period for the DUP, in which the party had three different leaders within a matter of weeks.

He was nominated by Mr Poots during his short tenure as leader and kept the role when Sir Jeffrey took over.

But Sir Jeffrey made it clear he wished to return to Stormont from Westminster and take the mantle of first minister.

Party officers are due to meet later this afternoon at a Belfast hotel and it is expected they will confirm Mr Givan is to stand down with immediate effect.

Image source, PA

Good afternoon and welcome to our live coverage of a political crisis unfolding in Northern Ireland today.

It is expected that First Minister Paul Givan will resign from his post this afternoon, triggering a chain of events which includes Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill also leaving her position.

Just over three months away from the scheduled date for the next assembly election, we will analyse what this means for the executive, outstanding legislation, Covid-19 restrictions and more.

Later, this page will also carry the expected announcements in video and audio.