The UK’s new Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, has reiterated in a call with his Irish counterpart, Micheal Martin, his desire for a negotiated Northern Ireland protocol in a new round of phone calls since taking office after taking the reins as leader of the Conservative Party.
«The leaders agreed on the vital importance of a strong UK-Ireland relationship and expressed their determination to build on that friendship in the coming months,» the British government has explained in a statement.
Within hours of taking office, Sunak held telephone conversations on Tuesday with U.S. President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenski, with whom he reaffirmed his country’s support for Ukraine.
The new Prime Minister resumed diplomatic contacts on Wednesday with another call to Martin, with whom, in addition to his support for Kiev, he discussed the Northern Ireland protocol. Thus, the British Premier insisted that London’s preference remains «a negotiated outcome».
Before the call, Martin has stressed that he expects Sunak, like his predecessor, Liz Truss, to resolve the conflict through negotiations with Europe. «I have no doubt that Europe will be flexible on all aspects related to the protocol,» he added, as reported by the ‘Belfast Telegraph’ newspaper.
For her part, the leader of Sinn Féin, Mary Lou McDonald, has expressed that she hopes that the new Westminster government can achieve a «radical change» in the relations between Ireland and the United Kingdom, as well as between the EU and London.
«This may be an opportunity for a new beginning. The question is, will it be?» he has asked, adding that relations between the parties «based on good faith and a genuine desire for real progress» are necessary.
SUNAK TALKS WITH VON DER LEYEN Sunak also held a conversation with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, with whom he discussed «the united response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine,» especially on the implementation of sanctions against Moscow as «an example of the value of cooperation between London and the EU.»
With regard to the Northern Ireland protocol, Sunak has also conveyed to Von der Leyen his wish for a negotiated solution», while noting that he hopes to meet her soon in person, according to a British government statement.
«The Prime Minister and President von der Leyen agreed that the UK and the EU have much in common, not least the challenges we face in areas such as the economy and climate change. They resolved to work closely together to address those challenges,» he concluded.
The Stormont Assembly has ahead of it a process to recover the institutionality of the Northern Ireland devolved government now with the republican Sinn Féin party at the helm, following its victory in last May’s elections.
The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) refuses to return to the Executive until the dispute over the Northern Ireland Protocol is resolved on its terms, so the process has been blocked for months after a failed vote to nominate the Stormont Speaker and Deputy Speaker.
Sinn Féin won 27 of the 90 seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly and is currently the leading political force ahead of the DUP (25) and the Alliance Party (17). The Ulster Unionist Party has nine seats and the Social Democratic and Labour Party has eight seats.
