Ulster Unionist leader Doug Beattie said his party appreciates anybody who wants to keep the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement on track.

Speaking after meeting the prime minister at Hillsborough, he added: "It's an unbalance-able agreement which we managed to balance and it is now being thrown off because of the protocol.

"The protocol really needs to be dealt with so we can move forward.

"If the UK government takes steps tomorrow or this week to fix some of the issues that we see with the protocol, then it's important that we nominate a speaker and get back into government and start doing the work.

If we do not get back into government, then we need to identify who's blocking it and we need to bypass them.".

The Alliance Party's Stephen Farry says he was very direct with the prime minister about the current situation at Stormont and the protocol.

"We gave him a very clear warning that if he is going to play fast and loose with the protocol and the Good Friday Agreement, then he is going to be adding more instability to Northern Ireland," he said.

Mr Farry said the UK government must honour its original agreements made on the protocol with the EU, adding that trust is key.

"The process hasn't been given a proper chance over the last 12 months," he said.

Chris Mason
Political editor

Image source, PA Media

Boris Johnson is trying to sort out the consequences of a Brexit deal he signed.

Those consequences - known as the protocol - include checks on stuff crossing from England, Scotland and Wales to Northern Ireland and, still, no fully devolved government at Stormont.

So what's he trying to achieve?

Think of it as four-dimensional diplomacy. At least.

Here are the moving parts:

The DUP, who hate the protocol because they see it as detaching Northern Ireland from the rest of the UK. They won't go back into a power-sharing government at Stormont unless it changes.

The European Union, who say: 'Look you signed this international agreement Boris Johnson, don't try to unpick it now'.

The White House and political opinion in Washington, plenty of whom don't like the idea of the UK shredding the protocol.

And views within the government at Westminster vary significantly, stretching from hawks tempted by a scrap with Brussels, to others who fret that might be counterproductive.

Read more here.

Downing Street has released pictures of the prime minister meeting party leaders - as talks turn to issues around the restoration of devolution.

Image source, Downing Street

Image source, Downing Street

On the issue of the protocol, Stephen Farry says trust is key in getting a break through.

"Trust is essential if we are to find a genuine way forward in protocol talks," he said.

"There is a majority of MLAs, people and businesses in Northern Ireland who are very clear they want to see stability and certainty around the protocol."

Image source, EPA

Mr Farry also says he wasn't sure exactly why the prime minister was here "because there hasn't been a clear dialogue from UK government in months".

"No groundwork has been done and the prime minister is not acting in the true interests of Northern Ireland."

Mr Farry said Mr Johnson was only in Northern Ireland to appease the DUP.

The deputy leader of the Alliance party describes its meeting with Boris Johnson as "very frustrating", with some "robust exchanges".

"If he is serious about getting the institutions up and running again, he needs to be straight with the DUP," Stephen Farry said.

"In particular, he needs to indicate the need for reform and to remove the ability from any party at the top to veto the establishment of the executive and assembly."

Image source, bbc

BBC NI's Evening Extra programme is coming to you live from Hillsborough with all the developments as the prime minister visits the historic town.

Speaking to the media after meeting the prime minister, DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson says he will look at Boris Johnson's proposed changes on the protocol "very clearly".

He said Mr Johnson stated very clearly that his proposals "are capable of resolving the issues" around the post-Brexit trading arrangements.

Mr Donaldson said his party is not asking the government anything it has not already committed to do.

Sir Jeffrey Donaldson says he hopes the government will “do the right thing” and help restore consensus in Northern Ireland for power sharing.

When asked whether he trusts the prime minister, Sir Jeffrey said: “The PM stated very clearly that his proposals are capable of resolving the issues surrounding the protocol.

“It isn’t a question of trust, it is a question of action and doing the right thing.”

Image source, Pacemaker

Sir Jeffrey also rejected Sinn Féin’s comments that the prime minister was taking sides.

“The prime minister is here as the prime minister of the United Kingdom,” he said.

“The idea that the prime minister is taking sides is for the fairies. The prime minister is here because it’s his job.”

Sir Jeffrey also encouraged all parties in Northern Ireland to work with Mr Johnson on the matter.

Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said he has waited a “long time for this moment” – to meet Prime Minister Boris Johnson and to see the government bring forward new proposals on the protocol.

“I am very clear, I want to see Northern Ireland’s place in the United Kingdom fully respected and fully restored,” Mr Donaldson said.

Sir Jeffrey said a Brexit deal was outlined in the New Decade,New Approach , externaldeal that would respect Northern Ireland’s place in the UK, but that it has not been delivered.

On the matter of the EU, Mr Donaldson said it has shown “no attempt to do what needs to be done to respect NI’s place in the UK”, also accusing the EU’s actions of harming the Belfast Agreement.

The DUP was the second party to meet Boris Johnson at Hillsborough Castle.

Party leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson says he wants to see a “fully-functioning executive at Stormont” as soon as possible but that his party needs to see “decisive action” on the protocol.

When asked about the prime minister's proposed changes to the protocol and whether they’d be enough for his party to return to power sharing, Mr Donaldson said he hadn’t seen the proposals yet.

“We’re waiting to see what they say and then consult within my party on that.

Image source, Pacemaker

Speaking after meeting the prime minister, Mary Lou McDonald said in the mind of the prime minister, government in Northern Ireland was "contingent on satisfying the DUP demand in respect of the protocol".

The Sinn Féin president said it was a "reckless and unacceptable course of action".

She said the prime minister was giving political unionism an "unacceptable veto".

Image source, bbc

Among the protesters in Hillsborough are some campaigning over the Irish language.

Plans to legislate for the Irish language were announced in the Queen’s Speech.

The Identity and Language (Northern Ireland) Bill commits to delivering on commitments about identity and language negotiated in the New Decade, New Approach , externalagreement of 2020.

This gives recognition and protection to the Irish language and will enhance and develop the Ulster Scots/Ulster British tradition.

Mary Lou McDonald says that democracy has to rule in the end.

"The democratic wishes of the people have to be respected," she says.

Image source, Pacemaker

"Everybody’s very clear that whatever anybody’s divergences or points of difference, everybody wants government, everybody wants the executive established.

"What we needed to hear from Boris Johnson and what we need to hear yet, is that the executive must be formed, no ifs, no buts, no conditionality and no unionist veto."

Mary Lou McDonald says Boris Johnson has not given any detail of the government’s plans, other that they plan to fix rather than scrap the protocol.

"What exactly that means is quite frankly anybody’s guess," she says.

"What is clear is that the British prime minister has given the impression at least that he is minded to get rid of the protocol – now that clearly is not possible, legally that is not permissible.

Image source, Pacemaker

"What he hasn’t been clear about is what any legislation might contain.

"It is clear, however, that in the mind of Boris Johnson's government progress here in the north is contingent on satisfying DUP demands in respect of the protocol.

"It’s a reckless course of action."

DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has arrived at Hillsborough Castle ahead of talks with Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

His party is refusing to go back into power sharing at Stormont unless changes are made to the controversial Protocol.

Sir Jeffrey is joined by East Belfast MP Gavin Robinson and Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots who was recently elected to represent South Belfast in the 5 May elections.

Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald says the party had a "fairly tough" meeting with Boris Johnson.

She says she is "sorry to say we’ve had no straight answers really from the British prime minister.

Instead what they got was "a confirmation of what we already knew that this impasse is entirely coordinated between themselves and the DUP," she adds.

"If the DUP are acting shamefully in holding back government, well then the British government is acting even more shamefully in our view."

Enda McClafferty
BBC News NI political editor

Much of the focus is going to fall on the DUP – will they hear enough today from Boris Johnson, or indeed tomorrow at Westminster, to convince the party to return to the power-sharing executive?

There has been a pretty angry response from both Dublin and Brussels about what the government is intending to do.

The big problem for Boris Johnson is that there’s very little trust among the political parties here in terms of the promises he might make.

We have been here before and he will once again be judged on his actions not his words.

Sinn Féin was the first party to meet Prime Minister Boris Johnson at Hillsborough Castle.

It is now the largest party at Stormont after the election on 5 May.

Image source, Reuters

Its delegation was made up of leader Mary Lou McDonald, deputy leader Michelle O'Neill and Conor Murphy.

Image source, Getty Images

• The Northern Ireland Protocol is part of the Brexit deal: It means goods can pass freely between Northern Ireland (in the UK) and the Republic of Ireland (in the European Union)

• Basically, lorries don't have to stop and prove their goods follow EU rules when they cross the border
• Instead, checks are done when goods arrive in Northern Ireland from the rest of the UK (England, Scotland, Wales)
• The border is a sensitive issue because of Northern Ireland's violent past and politicians do not want new checkpoints there
• But the protocol is unpopular with unionist politicians (who support Northern Ireland being part of the UK). They say it means Northern Ireland is treated differently from England, Scotland and Wales
• The UK government has hinted that it could drop parts of the protocol, but the EU says it could retaliate

Read more here.