Rishi’s embracing new Northern Ireland

THE most extraordinary photograph of the week was that of British prime minister Rishi Sunak and Northern Ireland’s First Minister Michelle O’Neill hugging, with Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald looking on with a beaming smile on her face.

As Sunak’s face is not clearly visible, my initial suspicion was that the photo was a fake, that some idiot had used Photoshop to try to cause controversy. Extraordinarily, though, it turns out the photo is very real.

It could be seen as a real breakthrough in the normalisation of relations between the Tories and Sinn Féin, the emotionally intelligent O’Neill making yet another unexpected con- nection with the British elite.

It also demonstrated Sinn Féin’s delight at finally having the First Minister position in the devolved Executive and over the British help in persuading the Democratic Unionist Party to finally give way. Good, too, to have good relations with a party that might end up calling a referendum on a united Ireland, even if there is zero chance that Sunak will remain in power to do that.

But consider this: at present the British government is trying to bring in what’s known as the Legacy Bill, the essential effect of which will be hiding the investigation and prosecution of the British government’s involvement in murder and other crimes in the North. Quite rightly, the families of victims are outraged by this. Sinn Féin too has complained.

It is the Irish Government, however, that has taken up the cudgels, initiating legal action in an attempt to prevent the introduction of the new law.

This has led to reports of a serious row between the British prime minister and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, and they did not appear in public together at Stormont last weekend.

They must certainly weren’t hugging in front of the cameras.