image source, Hannah McKay/Reuters
This will be the Prime Minister’s seventh visit to Northern Ireland since taking office in 2022.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak has arrived in Northern Ireland for a visit to mark the return to power-sharing government.
He is due to attend Stormont on Monday with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar.
Mr Sunak is scheduled to meet with Cabinet ministers including First Minister Michelle O’Neill and Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengery.
Ms O’Neill made history as Northern Ireland’s first nationalist Prime Minister.
This is the Prime Minister’s seventh visit to Northern Ireland since taking office, but the first time there has been a fully functioning government in Northern Ireland.
During his visit, Mr Sunak will meet with people involved in public services and undertake a number of community activities.
Downing Street said he would meet with emergency responders and local stakeholders on Sunday evening.
Monday’s community engagement will include speaking to “a wide range of people across Northern Ireland, including those delivering public services, those receiving support and their families”.
Mission accomplished. Power-sharing has resumed and the prime minister is also in town for commemorations.
Rishi Sunak has reason to be upbeat, given the government’s long-standing efforts to cross the line and reach an agreement with the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP).
But he is due to pose for pictures with officials tomorrow, who will be keen to question him about Stormont’s financial future.
With a multi-billion pound package already on the verge of being delivered, will the Chancellor be prepared to part with even more cash to keep stakeholders happy?
That’s the big question waiting for him on the hill.
Northern Ireland’s power-sharing government was reinstated on Saturday after the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) ended its boycott over post-Brexit trade rules.
The government has also pledged £3.3 billion to restore Northern Ireland’s administration, with much of the funding going towards stabilizing the public service and resolving public sector pay disputes.
Members of Northern Ireland’s parliament met on Saturday to elect a new speaker and appoint new ministers.
Mr Sunak has frequently said getting Stormont up and running is a key priority for the Government.
Speaking in Westminster last week, Mr Sunak thanked the DUP for the “significant steps” they had taken in talks to return to devolved government.
He also thanked Northern Ireland’s other political parties for “the patience they have shown during two years without leadership”.