PM heads to N. Ireland to demand its leaders ‘get back to work!’

BORIS Johnson will demand that Northern Ireland’s political leaders “get back to work” when he arrives in Belfast tomorrow on a mission to save the power-sharing Executive.

- David Williamson

The PM will warn that while he is open “to genuine dialogue” there will be a “necessity to act” if the EU does not soften its stance on the Northern Ireland Protocol.

The province has been plunged into a fresh political crisis, with the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) refusing to nominate ministers unless major changes are made to post-Brexit trading arrangements.

The UK Government could announce an overhaul of the protocol – which many unionists blame for hurting trade with Great Britain and diminishing Northern Ireland’s status as a full part of the UK – as early as this week.

In a move that could provoke fury in Brussels, the UK is expected to outline measures which would remove the need for checks on much of the trade between Northern Ireland and England, Scotland and Wales.

The DUP’s refusal to take part in government means Sinn Fein’s Michelle O’Neill has not been able to take the position of First Minister after her party won the most seats for the first time in this month’s election. It has also blocked the nomination of a Speaker, which means the Stormont Assembly cannot function.

Polling by Techne has uncovered pessimism about the likelihood of the UK staying together following Sinn Fein’s success in Northern Ireland and Nicola Sturgeon’s drive for Scottish independence.