NI Protocol: New PM an opportunity to resolve issues, says Simon Coveney

The Irish Foreign Affairs Minister met with NI party leaders to discuss the ongoing power sharing stalemate at Stormont

A change of prime minister presents an opportunity to resolve the issues around the Northern Ireland Protocol "in a different way", the Irish foreign minister has said.

Simon Coveney said it was no secret relations between Ireland and Britain had not been good in recent years.

Asked who he preferred for the job between Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss, he refused to answer.

He said he knew Ms Truss better due to her foreign secretary role.

Mr Coveney expressed hope that Boris Johnson's successor would step away from the move to override parts of the Northern Ireland Protocol though the passing of legislation at Westminster.

"We'll work with whoever the new leader is, whoever the new prime minister is," he said.

"Of course, we hope that the new prime minister won't pursue a strategy of breaking international law and breaking their word to Ireland and the EU."

Mr Coveney held a meeting with all the main parties in Belfast except the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), though "in fairness" the party leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson was in London.

The DUP said they had "a diary issue" and hoped to meet Mr Coveney at a later date.

They discussed the ongoing power sharing stalemate at Stormont brought about by the DUP's refusal to return to the devolved institutions until the Northern Ireland Protocol was resolved.

Sir Jeffrey has said the protocol bill needed to make "clear progress" in Parliament before he would contemplate a return to Stormont.

'Nothing has changed'

This comes after the government's controversial bill passed its third reading in the House of Commons on Wednesday and will go to the House of Lords in the autumn.

Sinn Fein's Conor Murphy said his party would support a bid by the SDLP to recall the Stormont assembly.

"We want to get the assembly functioning, we're happy to do that," he said.

Mr Murphy added that his party would not express a view on who should be the next prime minister.

"We always have a preference for what the government does, not who's in charge - and that's that it honours the agreements it's made."

Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) leader Doug Beattie said he had a "good catch up" with Mr Coveney but that "nothing has changed" regarding the protocol.

He refused to answer if he would prefer Rishi Sunak or Liz Truss as prime minister and said they would be judged on their actions.

"Boris Johnson invested no time in Northern Ireland, the prime minister will have to invest time and energy in fixing problems we have in Northern Ireland," he said.

Mr Beattie also again called on the DUP to support the election of a Stormont speaker so that the assembly can operate.

What is in the Northern Ireland Protocol bill?

The UK government published plans for the bill in June. At the centre of the proposal is the concept of green lanes and red lanes for trade.

This would mean:

• Goods coming from Great Britain into Northern Ireland and which are staying would use the green lane. This means there would be no checks and paperwork would be minimal

• GB goods moving through NI into Ireland or the wider European Union would use the red lane and continue to be checked at NI ports

London also wants any trade disputes resolved by "independent arbitration" and not by the European Court of Justice, and for Northern Ireland to benefit from the same tax breaks as elsewhere in the UK.