UK’s Sunak in Northern Ireland after O’Neill becomes first nationalist leader

Rishi Sunak will meet Sinn Fein’s Michelle O’Neill and DUP leader Emma Little-Pengelly at Stormont on Monday, his Downing Street office said

O’Neill predicts Northern Ireland will hold vote on unification with Ireland; UK PM said country has ‘brighter future’ with power sharing return

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Britain’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. Photo: AFP

Published: 2:49am, 5 Feb 2024Updated: 4:58am, 5 Feb 2024

Northern Ireland faces a “brighter future” with the restoration of devolved government after two years of deadlock, Britain’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on a visit to Belfast on Sunday, the day after Sinn Fein’s Michelle O’Neill made history by becoming its first nationalist leader.

Following Saturday’s restoration of power-sharing in Belfast that allowed her to take up her role, pro-Irish unity politician O’Neill predicted that the UK territory will hold a vote on unification with Ireland within the next decade.

However, Sunak’s government said earlier this week that Northern Ireland’s place within the UK appears “secure for decades”.

The return of devolved governance follows the biggest pro-UK party ending a two-year boycott of the Stormont institutions after striking a deal with Sunak’s government in London over post-Brexit trade rules in Northern Ireland.

Northern Ireland’s new First Minister Michelle O’Neill, left, and Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly at Stormont in Belfast, Northern Ireland on Sunday. Photo: Reuters

“In the last few days we’ve made significant progress towards a brighter future for people here,” Sunak told broadcasters on Sunday.