Varadkar and May united over the future of Northern Ireland
IRELAND and the UK are in a “shared space” on the future of Northern Ireland, according to Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar.
Mr Varadkar and Theresa May discussed the ongoing political deadlock in Northern Ireland which has prevented the creation of a working administration at Stormont as the pair held talks in Downing Street.
The meeting also saw Mrs May confirm her support for Ireland’s bid to hold the rugby union world cup in 2023.
A Downing Street spokesman said: “Both leaders recognised the progress made by the parties in Northern Ireland and the Prime Minister welcomed the efforts and support of the Irish Government on achieving a successful outcome.
“There was also a shared acknowledgement of the outstanding issues that remained for the parties and the need for their continued work towards an agreement to ensure Northern Ireland has the political stability it needs.”
While both the DUP and Sinn Fein, the two biggest parties in Northern Ireland, issued statements on Sunday stressing their commitment to restoring a devolved executive, there has been no public indication whether either side has given ground on the roadblocks currently preventing it.
Northern Ireland Secretary James Brokenshire said a deal was “doable” yesterday.
He said: “We’ve obviously seen some more positive statements but it is now about converting that into a deal, converting that into the formation of an executive and I would strongly encourage the parties to continue that intensive process and to bring that about, to make that happen and to see the restoration of devolved government that everyone wants to have and wants to see back in place.”
Discussions between Sinn Fein and the DUP are due to continue this week.