Northern Irish leaders meet with U.K. officials

U.K. Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Brandon Lewis is meeting with leaders from the region’s political parties on Monday to urge them to quickly form a new devolved government following historic elections which saw the nationalists Sinn Fein become the largest party for the first time.

“The people of Northern Ireland need a stable and accountable government that delivers on the issues that are important to them,” Lewis said in a statement.

Formation of the new administration is threatened by renewed turmoil over the Northern Ireland Protocol — the part of the Brexit agreement which keeps the region in the EU customs block.