Image source, PA Media

That's all from today's assembly sitting - for the fifth time, members have failed to elect a Speaker and the Northern Ireland Assembly stays in the deep freeze.

A breakthrough to the political stalemate appears no closer but whatever political developments occur, you can get the latest on BBC News NI online as well as via BBC Newsline and BBC Radio Ulster.

We'll see you next time - most likely for the sixth assembly recall. Until then, thanks for joining us.

As expected, both nominations for Speaker fall and members have left the building following the fifth Stormont recall.

If you missed today's proceedings, here's a short recap:

• Sinn Féin's Michelle O'Neill says the DUP should be "ashamed", adding that Northern Ireland should not be "left to the mercy" of the Conservative government
• Gordon Lyons from the DUP says they recognise the "dire situation" faced by many people, and urges the UK government to step in and offer support
• Kellie Armstrong of Alliance accuses the DUP of using ordinary people as "leverage" and says it is "unacceptable" for people to wait in poverty due to a lack of assembly
• Doug Beattie says the DUP and Sinn Féin are "two sides of the same damn coin", and parties have pushed Northern Ireland "into the dirt"
• But a comment from Mr Beattie accusing the members of the DUP of screaming and whinging "like a girl from the sidelines" led to Edwin Poots calling Mr Beattie a "disgrace to unionism" and referencing past tweets by the UUP leader joking about Mr Poots' wife
• The SDLP's Matthew O'Toole appeals "sincerely and genuinely" to politicians to put aside differences for the common good and help people struggling during the cost-of-living crisis.

The debate finishes with both nominations for Speaker, UUP's Mike Nesbitt and SDLP's Patsy McGlone, falling to gather sufficient cross-community support.

Without a Speaker and Deputy Speakers, no business can operate at Stormont.

Enda McClafferty
BBC News NI political editor

Today's plot followed a familiar path with much the same script lines building to the same anti-climatic conclusion.

For the fifth time, assembly members tried and failed to elect a speaker to restore the assembly with the DUP refusing to end its Stormont boycott.

Mindful of those suffering to pay their bills, the exchanges were full of passion and, at times, anger.

But there was no hint of a DUP climbdown any time soon, as Gordon Lyons doubled down on his party’s stand-off with some stinging digs at the Sinn Féin benches.

Digs which Sinn Féin dismissed as “dead cat” distractions.

The only note of remorse came from the Ulster Unionist leader Doug Beattie when he apologised after being accused of making a misogynistic remark.

Assembly members left the chamber as they entered it – no closer to restoring the Stormont institutions and braced for a pay cut.

As expected, Mr McGlone has not been elected Speaker.

No Speaker, means no Northern Ireland Assembly. The Acting Speaker, Alan Chambers, adjourns the sitting.

With that, today's proceedings come to a close - with things no further forward.

While we wait on the assembly to make it's final vote, here's a reminder on just who is in charge at Stormont in the absence of ministers.

This is the first assembly recall to take place since they left their posts at the end of October after the deadline for reforming the power-sharing executive passed without agreement.

Since then, nine senior civil servants, otherwise known as permanent secretaries have been running the governmental departments in Northern Ireland.

They will remain in post until power-sharing is restored.

But their powers are limited, and can only implement policies that were previously agreed by politicians.

Their ability to react to changing circumstances is negligible.

Read more about who is running Northern Ireland here.

And, no surprise, the motion for UUP's Mike Nesbitt to be elected as Speaker does not pass.

Now the question is asked on whether the SDLP's Patsy McGlone will be elected Speaker.

Spoiler alert - he won't.

The UUP's Robbie Butler, who had not originally been due to speak, very emotively says that his "heart's thumping" at the state of Northern Ireland.

He accuses Sinn Féin of 'hypocrisy" regarding the previous collapse of the assembly in 2017 and the trauma this had on people.

He adds that the trauma of this assembly's collapse on Northern Ireland's population "will be measured in years to come".

He also says he is disappointed that a previous speaker - Sinn Féin's Aisiling O'Reilly - refused an intervention from him because he was not speaking in Irish.

He says it's not the most important thing today, but again shows how far the assembly has to travel in order to come together.

And, with that, there's no more speakers - now members will vote on the motions. First up, Mike Nesbitt as Speaker...

Sinn Féin's Pádraig Delargy calls on the DUP to listen to the people who are in "dire straits" and need "emergency financial support".

"You can choose not to listen to my party and any of the other parties in here but do not sit there and choose to ignore the people that elected you."

He says that the refusal to go into government is "gross and political financial negligence" and that it "needs to end now".

Image source, NI Assembly

The SDLP's Daniel McCrossan speaks next - and he's also not too happy about the assembly's fifth recall since May's election.

"How is this situation, in any way, improving the lives of any of our constituents?" he asks.

Mr McCrossan continues by saying the cost-of-living crisis is affecting the lives of people across Northern Ireland, with many losing faith in Stormont.

"I am ashamed to stand in this house, prevented from exercising my democratic right to standing up for every citizen."

The West Tyrone MLA says he is frustrated with the situation, and criticises DUP's Gordon Lyons calling the recall sitting a farce.

"The DUP have failed, and they have failed every citizen in Northern Ireland," he finishes.

Alliance's Paula Bradshaw begins by paying her respects and offering her deepest sympathies to the family of five-year old Stella-Lily McCorkindale who died after contracting Strep A.

She says the DUP's boycott is not just causing "material harm" to households not receiving the energy payment but are also "imperilling" one of the institutions cited as a key reason for Northern Ireland remaining in the union - the NHS.

Ms Bradshaw says the only way to sort out the health service was with Stormont, ministerial direction and legislation.

She says the public health care sector will "crash and burn" if the parties do not vote to elect a Speaker.

Edwin Poots closes his contribution with an attack on UUP's Doug Beattie.

Referring to a remark he made previously - in which Mr Beattie said the DUP thought it could " scream, whinge and whine like a girl from the sidelines" - Mr Poots says he is "a disgrace to unionism".

Mr Poots' emotional appeal also referenced the emergence of tweets earlier this year by Mr Beattie, which included a joke about Mr Poots' wife.

Alliance member Sorcha Eastwood follows up, calling a point of order over Mr Beattie's language.

She says that "it is incumbent of all members of this assembly to be dignified in their use of language".

She then criticises the Acting Speaker, Alan Chambers, for not challenging Mr Beattie's choice of words earlier, when he simply said Mr Beattie could say what he wants.

Ms Eastwood appeals to the Acting Speaker that "it is incumbent on you to make a ruling on what language is appropriate".

In response, Mr Chambers says: "You don't have the authority to challenge the ruling of the chair."

The final words in this exchange come from Sorcha Eastwood who reiterates that she will be logging for the record that "this language is unparliamentary and that women do belong in this chamber".

DUP assembly member Edwin Poots says that Sinn Féin's claim that £420m is available for public spending is "completely unfactual".

He accuses Conor Murphy of racking up debt that will ensure "a difficult financial year next year".

Mr Poots also says that no party supported Conor Murphy's previous budget.

This includes the Alliance Party as there was no allocation for policing and prisons.

Getting heated, Mr Poots adds: 'Sinn Féin didn't care about the young people with special educational needs in that budget because they didn't provide for them in the budget."

Image source, NI Assembly

Speaking in Irish, Sinn Féin's Aisling O'Reilly rises to firstly acknowledge the passing of the "historic" Irish language legislation at Westminster.

The West Belfast member says the cost-of-living crisis is getting worse, and there is no executive in place to support people.

Ms O'Reilly says the DUP should be ashamed of their boycott, and criticises former economy minister Gordon Lyons over his assurance that the £600 energy support payments would be available from November.

In the midst of her remarks, another member asks if they can intervene to speak leading Ms O'Reilly ask if the intervention would be in Irish and then declining. It leads to some discussion in the chamber as to whether a member can turn down an intervention based on language, but the Acting Speaker says it's up to a member whether they take an intervention or not.

She continues by saying Sinn Féin are ready to work for everyone and calls on others to "do the right thing" and elect a Speaker.

"The delay, the dithering and the excuses must stop right away," she says.

SDLP assembly member Sinead McLaughlin says every time the assembly meets "the DUP refused to act".

"There is very little Christmas cheer around Stormont today and certainly no Christmas miracle," she says.

She turns to the DUP and says: "I don't know how you have got the nerve."

Ms McLaughlin makes reference to the May election in which Sinn Féin won the most seats, which meant there would be a first nationalist minister if the assembly was restored.

"To anyone with eyes it is clear that you have whipped people up into a frenzy because you can't stomach being in second place," she says.

Alliance's John Blair keeps his contribution fairly brief as he opens: "We have well rehearsed the devastating impact of failures here today to elect a new speaker."

He moves on to highlight that his party "care only that someone will occupy that [speakers'] chair so that we can serve our constituents to the fullest of our ability"

He says it is shameful to prioritise political party interests over the health service which is "collapsing around us" and the imminent threat of the climate crisis.

He adds that this points to the fact that "the DUP seem incapable of shame" and that their actions are creating a situation which is "utterly depressing".

Finally, Mr Blair appeals to the speaker that "we need to look urgently into the reform of these institutions".

Harking back to his time as finance minister, Sinn Féin's Conor Murphy says that "financial chaos" caused by the DUP collapsing the assembly during budget consultations has led to overspending.

Mr Murphy says that the DUP went on strike on full pay while other public sector workers now have to resort to industrial action for pay increases.

He also says that the DUP "falsely claimed" that energy support payments would be made to people in Northern Ireland in November, despite knowing that this would not be the case as far back as August.

He claims that the money for these payments could be made available today if the parties work together.

He ends his speech by asking the DUP to "stop looking over your shoulder at those who want to live in the past".

Image source, NI Assembly

Next up is Independent assembly member Alex Easton, who says he "despairs" at political maturity and debate within the chamber.

Mr Easton then calls Sinn Féin hypocrites for collapsing power-sharing for three years over the RHI scheme and the Irish Language Act.

"When Sinn Féin say that they care about the cost of living and the energy crisis now...they do not care less about the increasing costs of the Northern Ireland Protocol," he says.

Mr Easton continues by saying that Stormont was not in a position to offer support due to a £660m overspend by departments.

"What people need to realise is, whether we like it or not, the Northern Ireland Protocol is a serious issue and is a serious issue for the unionist population.

"Until we get it sorted out, this place ain't coming back."

People Before Profit's sole assembly member Gerry Carroll says today's political circus would be amusing if the cost-of-living crisis wasn't so deep and if the outcome of the proceedings was not so predictable.

He says the DUP's "impervious attitude to people's plight is obvious".

He adds while the DUP refuses to govern, the Conservative party continue to inflict more misery to people in Northern Ireland.

Mr Carroll says the DUP's outrage about the protocol is "manufactured" and says this is proven by the DUP's Edwin Poots' "embarrassing attempt" to change the protocol bill.

Mr Poots has denied that he attempted to dilute the bill.

The TUV leader is taking a historical approach in his remarks, focusing squarely on the Northern Ireland Protocol and what he sees as it's impact on the union.

He says that 100 years since Northern Ireland was formed "it remains the unanimous view that the protocol is unacceptable and it dissipates the fundamentals of the union".

Mr Allister is part of a group challenging the protocol in the Supreme Court on the basis that it breaches the Acts of Union and the Northern Ireland Act.

He adds that unionist politicians can never stand by and "be subjected to foreign laws".

Mr Allister passionately reiterates: "This government is never going to operate on the basis that Great Britain is a foreign country."

Image source, NI Assembly

Mr O'Toole continues by appealing to politicians to "sincerely and genuinely" put aside differences for the common good.

"Whenever bills arrive in the post, whenever meters tick towards zero, they don't say unionist or nationalist or other on them," he says.

He continues by saying that upholding tribal politics was not a way to help people during the cost-of-living crisis.

"This isn't a game. If we keep going down this road... all we do is fundamentally damage people's trust in the status quo."