#good-friday-agreement

#good-friday-agreement

All politics is local, or so it used to be said.But there was not much sign of that supposed neighbourhood granularity in England's local elections on 4 May.Instead, a majority of English voters appear to have gone to the polls determined to register a national protest against Rishi Sunak's Conservative government at Westminster.

Joe Biden is set to visit Belfast to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday agreement despite the Democratic Unionist party's continued boycott of the power-sharing government that the peace pact established.The US president, who is of Irish heritage, is also expected to travel to Dublin as part of his wish to mark his family connection while in office.

The UK and EU are on the brink of an agreement which would reform the Northern Ireland Protocol.The protocol is the part of the Brexit deal which sets Northern Ireland's trade rules.It keeps Northern Ireland inside the EU's single market for goods.That keeps the Irish land border open but means products arriving into NI from the rest of the UK are subject to checks and controls.

The Democratic Unionist party has said any Northern Ireland protocol deal must meet its seven tests but they omit the one that really matters: the test of Sir Jeffrey Donaldson's leadership.The seven conditions concern laws and trading rules, which have room for fudge and ambiguity.The choice facing Donaldson, in contrast, appears stark and binary: accept and sell the deal to unionism, paving the way for the restoration of power sharing.

Ireland's premier has urged respect for those who support the monarchy in the UK after two opposition parliamentarians questioned the time Irish national broadcaster RTE is devoting to the King's coronation.Leo Varadkar stressed that the model of constitutional monarchy is backed by a majority of people in the United Kingdom as he responded to criticism levelled by two socialist TDs in the Dail parliament in Dublin.

Former US president Donald Trump is expected to follow President Joe Biden, his successor at the White House, by visiting Ireland on Wednesday.Preparations were underway and security increased on Tuesday at Trump International Golf Links and Hotel just outside the town of Doonbeg in Co Clare, although staff remained tight-lipped about the proposed visit.

The Government has been urged give police in Northern Ireland additional funding following the raising of the threat level to severe.DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson was speaking after MI5 increased the terror threat level in Northern Ireland from substantial to severe, meaning an attack is highly likely.

Rishi Sunak's Brexit deal for Northern Ireland will be formally signed off on Friday at an official meeting in London, amid hopes that better UK-EU relations can see benefits in other areas.Foreign Secretary James Cleverly and the European Commission's Maros Sefcovic will together chair a meeting that will see the UK and the EU formally adopt the new arrangements for Northern Ireland, after the Government won the backing of MPs for the Windsor Framework earlier this week.

Rishi Sunak said today's agreement on new post-Brexit trade arrangements for Northern Ireland marks a "new chapter" in the UK's relationship with the EU.The deal will preserve the "delicate balance" in the 1998 Good Friday Agreement that protects the "aspirations and identity" of all people in Northern Ireland, the prime minister said in a press conference.

The UK and EU have been urged to reach a speedy resolution to talks around the Northern Ireland Protocol.There has been speculation that the two sides are close to agreement.The DUP is refusing to re-enter devolved government at Stormont until unionist concerns over the protocol are addressed.This has resulted in a year of political paralysis in Northern Ireland.

The EU and the UK Government are not anywhere close to a deal on issues surrounding the Northern Ireland Protocol, DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has said.The comments came as Irish premier Leo Varadkar, Tanaiste Micheal Martin and UK Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer are all set to hold talks in Northern Ireland as part of efforts to resolve the dispute over the post-Brexit trading arrangements.

People in Northern Ireland who support Rishi Sunak's post-Brexit deal vastly outnumber those who oppose it, according to a survey.Asked if they opposed the Windsor framework, just 16.9% of voters agreed, suggesting there is a desire to move on from political battles over trading arrangements.Overall 45% of voters did not oppose the revised deal, with around a third neither agreeing or disagreeing.

The Democratic Unionist party is unlikely to make a decision on whether to support Rishi Sunak's deal with the EU to revise the Northern Ireland protocol until April.The party has just launched a consultation process with an eight-person panel including former party leaders, Lady Arlene Foster and Peter Robinson.

The New York City St. Patrick's Day Parade returns on Friday for the 262nd time since the tradition began in 1762.It is the parade's second year back after a two-year hiatus caused by the coronavirus pandemic.The parade, which, according to organizers, typically hosts around 250,000 marchers and attracts about two million spectators, will start at 11 a.m. at Fifth Avenue and 44th Street.

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails The PSNI has asked for 330 officers from the rest of the UK to assist with a massive security operation during a visit to Northern Ireland by US President Joe Biden.

Dealing with concerns around the Northern Ireland Protocol isn't rocket science, and a solution must be found, a former Irish premier has said.Bertie Ahern said the current stalemate which has plunged the Stormont Assembly into flux is beyond comprehension.He emphasised that with a bit of flexibility it can be resolved.

Stormont speaker Alex Maskey has urged political parties to uphold the spirit of the Good Friday Agreement by restoring the devolved powersharing institutions.In a New Year message to all MLAs, Mr Maskey said it cannot be denied that the reputation of the Assembly has not matched the high hopes that existed for it in 1998.

Former Irish premier Bertie Ahern has said he believes issues over the Northern Ireland Protocol can be resolved ahead of the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.Mr Ahern said he was hopeful the anniversary of the agreement will be able to be celebrated in April with a deal on the outstanding protocol issues met.

Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight The Windsor Framework is the most practical way forward to deal with difficulties caused by Brexit in Northern Ireland, former prime minister Tony Blair said.

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Hundreds of specialist police officers from England and Wales will be needed in Northern Ireland as part of a massive security operation during a visit by US President Joe Biden, PSNI Chief Constable Simon Byrne has said.

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails The DUP has been urged to restore power-sharing by the leader of the US senate at a gala dinner attended by senior political figures from Northern Ireland.

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Rishi Sunak and Joe Biden discussed the increased assertiveness of the Chinese Communist Party during talks which also saw the pair agree to transatlantic visits.

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Joe Biden said he intends to visit Northern Ireland after being invited to mark the anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.The US president was formally invited by Rishi Sunak as the pair met for talks in San Diego, California.

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Former US president Bill Clinton and the ex-leader of Sinn Fein are set to reflect on the 25th anniversary of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement.Gerry Adams is taking part in the event in New York next month organised by Irish American organisations.

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Northern Ireland's economy has been transformed since the Belfast/Good Friday peace agreement, analysis has concluded.Since the accord was signed in 1998, outside investment, trade, tourism and investment in infrastructure have increased prosperity, life expectancy and attracted new residents to Northern Ireland Tourism is the sector to have benefited most, with the number of overseas visitors having more than doubled from 1.3m to 3m, scheduled air routes to the region more than tripled, handling 8.8m passengers (up from 4.4m in 1998), while the number of annual cruise visitors has leapt from just over 1,000 to 280,000 in 2019.

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Rishi Sunak has confirmed he will formally invite Joe Biden to visit Northern Ireland to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.The Prime Minister and the US President, who is proud of his Irish roots and has taken a keen interest in the agreement, will meet in San Diego on Monday.

Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Former Irish premier Bertie Ahern has said that if an agreement on the Northern Ireland Protocol is not struck soon, it will probably not happen until there is a new British government.

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Irish foreign affairs minister Micheal Martin has said an EU-UK deal on the Northern Ireland Protocol represents a genuine attempt to address key unionist concerns.

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Downing Street has been forced to stress that Rishi Sunak's hailing of Northern Ireland's access to both EU and British markets should not be seen as an endorsement of single market benefits for the whole of the UK.

Former Irish premier Bertie Ahern has said he expects the DUP to take a few weeks to consider clarifications on the Windsor Framework.The DUP is considering whether it will back the agreement on post-Brexit trading in Northern Ireland.Speaking at Stormont after a plenary session of the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, Mr Ahern said it is reasonable for people to seek legal and working clarifications on the agreement.

A police officer has been shot in Co Tyrone, Northern Ireland.The man was attacked at a sports complex on the Killyclogher Road in Omagh, police said.It is understood he was not on duty when he was attacked.It's believed the police officer attacked in Omagh was shot in front of young people at a football coaching session.

A former Irish premier has rejoined the political party he once led.Bertie Ahern led Fianna Fail from 1994, and served as Taoiseach from 1997.He led Ireland during the peace talks across the Irish border in Belfast, working with then-UK prime minister Tony Blair as the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement was signed in 1998.

Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris has met with the new US special envoy Joe Kennedy III.Mr Heaton-Harris is on a five-day trip to the US for a series of meetings, and to attempt to drum up investment opportunities for Northern Ireland.On Tuesday, he had his first in-person meeting with the US special envoy to Northern Ireland for Economic Affairs in Washington DC.

Collusion with loyalist paramilitaries was not a government policy, former UK prime minister Sir John Major has said.Sir John was answering questions from Sinn Fein MP John Finucane, whose father Pat was murdered by loyalists in 1989.During a meeting of an Irish government committee, Mr Finucane outlined to Sir John reports which he said found evidence of collusion.

A former soldier found guilty of killing a man at an army checkpoint in Northern Ireland more than 30 years ago will face a sentence hearing later.In November, David Jonathan Holden, 53, was convicted of the manslaughter of Aidan McAnespie in February 1988.He was the first veteran to be found guilty of a historical offence in Northern Ireland since the Good Friday Agreement.

The life of late Nobel laureate John Hume is to be portrayed by an actor from his native county in a new musical drama.The production honouring the long-time SDLP leader and key architect of the Good Friday Agreement will premiere in the spring to mark the 25th anniversary of the historic peace accord.

The Metropolitan Police may need to change its name in a root and branch review of the force following the David Carrick case, Sir Keir Starmer has said.The Labour leader said the crimes committed by the former officer who admitted 49 criminal charges including 24 counts of rape were jaw-droppingly shocking.He suggested the scale of the change now needed at the Met may be comparable to the policing reforms in Northern Ireland in the wake of the Good Friday Agreement which led to the Royal Ulster Constabulary being replaced by the Police Service of Northern Ireland.In an interview with Global Player's The News Agents podcast, Sir Keir said the Carrick case followed other scandals where there had been a failure to take action against the perpetrators.

There is still an opportunity for Northern Ireland's politicians to resurrect the powersharing Assembly, the Foreign Secretary has said.James Cleverly was in the region on Wednesday as time ticks down to the January 19 deadline for the executive to be restored.Devolution in Northern Ireland has been in flux since last February when the DUP, the region's largest unionist party, withdrew its First Minister from the ministerial executive in protest at the Brexit Northern Ireland Protocol.

Boris Johnson urged a hard egg approach to the Northern Ireland peace process in 1996 in the belief Britain could crush the IRA, according to declassified documents.The then deputy editor of the Daily Telegraph favoured a security-led policy over political talks that led two years later to the Good Friday agreement.

The new powersharing Executive at Stormont was described in 1999 as being like the Starship Enterprise  going where man has not gone before.Declassified state papers show civil servants in Northern Ireland were warned there was a risk that relations between ministers in the devolved administration could degenerate into continual attrition between and within unionist and nationalist blocs.

Prime minister Tony Blair was encouraged to meet Orange Order leaders in 1998 to influence positively Protestant voters who had yet to make up their minds about the Good Friday Agreement.The Orange Order leadership had sought a meeting with Mr Blair following the signing of the historic peace agreement, but before the public on both sides of the Irish border had voted in a referendum on the political deal.

Peter Mandelson urged Northern Ireland's cross-community Alliance Party to redesignate as unionists at Stormont in 1999 to facilitate the formation of a powersharing government, declassified papers have revealed.But the party rejected the then secretary of state's suggestion, with one MLA demanding to know if he would ask Sinn Fein to switch from nationalist to unionist.

The brave work of local communities which created the circumstances for the Good Friday Agreement should be celebrated as the 25th anniversary of the peace accord approaches, the head of a peace fund has urged.Events are being planned in 2023 to mark a quarter of a century since the agreement saw the setting up of the Stormont Assembly.

Prime minister Tony Blair became exasperated with Mo Mowlam over her determination to liberalise the drugs laws despite opposition from other senior government figures, according to newly released official papers.In 2000, Mr Blair gave the former Northern Ireland secretary the job of chairing the committee responsible for co-ordinating the Labour government's policy on drugs.

Irish premier Leo Varadkar has insisted any personal concerns over his safety will not deter him from visiting Northern Ireland.Mr Varadkar, who became Taoiseach for a second time last week, has become deeply unpopular within some sections of unionism and loyalism who claim he was an instrumental figure in the creation of Brexit's contentious Northern Ireland Protocol.

Derry Girls creator Lisa McGee has been awarded the Freedom of Derry, making her the first woman to be given the award.The screenwriter, who has won international praise for the hit programme Derry Girls, attended a short ceremony with her parents, her husband and her two sons.Ms McGee said receiving the award was surreal, and that she was hugely proud to be from the city.

The former leader of the Democratic Unionist party (DUP) has defended an attempt to water down the Northern Ireland protocol bill to make it more beneficial for farmers.Edwin Poots, who led the party for a month in 2021, wrote to the UK government in July last year saying the proposed bill would mean farmers in Northern Ireland would be subject to the same subsidy rules as the rest of the UK.