PM call with Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin: 10 May 2022

The Prime Minister spoke to Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin this morning.

Following last week’s Northern Ireland Assembly elections, they both agreed on the vital importance of restoring the devolved institutions, both the Assembly and Executive, as soon as possible. The Prime Minister said that the UK Government would remain in close contact with the parties following initial engagement yesterday.

The Prime Minister made clear that the situation in respect of the Northern Ireland Protocol was now very serious. The balance of the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement was being undermined and the recent elections had further demonstrated that the Protocol was not sustainable in its current form.

Despite repeated efforts by the UK Government over many months to fix the Protocol, including those sections related to the movement of goods and governance, the European Commission had not taken the steps necessary to help address the economic and political disruption on the ground.

The Prime Minister reiterated that the UK Government would take action to protect peace and political stability in Northern Ireland if solutions could not be found.