Boris Johnson will call on politicians in Northern Ireland to resume and operate power-sharing as the government seeks to resolve the stalemate with Brussels over post-Brexit trade agreements.
The prime minister will travel to Belfast on Monday for a series of crisis talks after the DUP blocked the election of Stormont’s assembly speaker, preventing him from meeting.
The move was bitterly condemned by Sinn Féin’s Michel O’Neill – whose party is now the largest in the Assembly since earlier this month’s election – and other party leaders.
Read more: Boris Johnson will visit Northern Ireland amid a political crisis
Government sources said Mr Johnson would use a series of private meetings to deliver a “difficult message” that the parties must come together to form an executive and an assembly if problems with the protocol are to be resolved.
He is expected to say that while the UK government will “play its part in ensuring political stability”, politicians need to “get back to work” in order to solve “bread and butter problems” for voters.
The DUP opposes the Protocol on Northern Ireland, as it requires checks on goods moving from the UK to Northern Ireland to keep the border with the Republic open in accordance with the Good Friday Agreement.
UK ministers have repeatedly said they will act unilaterally unless an agreement is found to reduce the impact of inspections, which have been accused of hitting businesses and fueling community tensions.
In his talks, Mr Johnson is expected to say that as long as the government “always keeps the door open for real dialogue”, there will be a “need to act” to defend the Good Friday Agreement (GFA) if there is no change of position of the EU.
He will insist that the government has never proposed repealing the protocol and will acknowledge that there will always have to be a treaty governing the UK’s relations with the EU vis-à-vis Northern Ireland to prevent the return of a hard border with the republic.
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However, he will say that the GFA’s “delicate balance” has been upset, eroding historical economic ties linking Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom, leaving the unionist community feeling its aspirations and identity are at stake.
The Prime Minister will argue that the “common goal” of the United Kingdom and the EU must be to agree on a reformed protocol that can receive “the widest possible inter-Community support” when faced with a vote of agreement in 2024.
Mr Johnson will also use his visit to ensure that three existing commitments on the language and culture package are met, guaranteeing women and girls access to abortion services and introducing new measures to tackle the legacy of the past.
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