Sunak visits Northern Ireland after Stormont restored

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Rishi Sunak arrived in Northern Ireland on Sunday evening to meet politicians and community groups after the historic restoration of the region’s devolved government following two years of paralysis.

The UK prime minister is hoping to highlight London’s role in the return of the Stormont assembly after prolonged negotiations between the British government and parties in Northern Ireland. 

Under the new agreement, Michelle O’Neill of Sinn Féin on Saturday became the first nationalist to hold the role of first minister in a region created by partition in 1921 as a bastion of pro-UK unionism. 

Her party, which is committed to the reunification of Ireland, won the most seats in elections in May 2022. 

But it was unable to form an administration because of a boycott by the Democratic Unionist Party, the largest pro-UK grouping, in protest against post-Brexit trading arrangements for Northern Ireland.

Downing Street said Sunak — whose government has pledged £3.3bn in funding for the region — would meet emergency responders and “community heroes” on Sunday.

On Monday, he will convene political leaders and ministers in the restored power-sharing executive and meet O’Neill and Emma Little-Pengelly, DUP deputy first minister, at Stormont Castle.

Ireland’s Taoiseach Leo Varadkar is also due in Belfast on Monday and is expected to hold bilateral talks with Sunak.

Despite the deal to end the long deadlock at Stormont, Sunak is set to face fresh calls from local leaders to make more cash available for public services.

Sinn Féin is anathema to some unionists because it was considered the mouthpiece of Irish Republican Army paramilitaries who fought to end British rule during three decades of conflict known as the Troubles that ended in 1998.

O’Neill said her appointment as the region’s first nationalist leader marked a “new…