NI Secretary flies to US to 'drum up investment'

Chris Heaton-Harris will visit Washington DC, Boston and New York during the five-day trip

Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris is to travel to the US on Sunday to discuss trade and investment opportunities.

The five-day visit includes meetings in Washington DC, Boston and New York.

During the trip, it is expected he will hold his first in-person talks with the recently appointed US Special Envoy to Northern Ireland, Joe Kennedy III.

Mr Heaton-Harris said he hoped the trip would "encourage continued trade and investment opportunities from the US".

He added the visit would also be used to discuss the UK government's plans to mark the "significant milestone" of the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, which was signed in April 1998.

"The US and UK share a commitment to upholding the agreement and continuing to transform Northern Ireland for the better," he said in a statement.

The meetings include talks with state department officials, the National Security Council, Congress members, and the Ad Hoc Committee to Protect the Good Friday Agreement.

The Northern Ireland Office explained the secretary of state would highlight to stakeholders his efforts to restore devolved government at Stormont.

Mr Heaton-Harris is expected to meet US Special Envoy Joe Kennedy III during the US visit

Northern Ireland has been without a functioning executive since February 2022 when the Democratic Unionist Party's Paul Givan resigned as first minister.

This was part of an ongoing protest by the party against the Northern Ireland Protocol, an element of the UK-EU Brexit deal which keeps Northern Ireland aligned with some EU trade rules to ensure free trade can continue cross the Irish border.

• A simple guide to the Northern Ireland Protocol

• What is the Good Friday Agreement?

It has in turn led to demonstrations by some unionists for introducing additional checks on goods moving between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

The White House has previously warned that UK efforts to dismantle the protocol "would not create a conducive environment" for trade talks between the countries.

On Friday, a letter signed by 27 US Congress members also expressed "grave concern" about the UK government's plans to introduce conditional amnesties as a means to deal with the legacy of the Troubles.

A UK government spokesperson responded that the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill aims to provide "more answers to as many families as possible".

A visit to reassure US politicians?

Two ministerial US visits in less than a week as the protocol talks enter a critical stage is telling.

It could be seen as a clear tactic to keep US politicians concerned about the negotiations reassured.

Chris Heaton-Harris is after all now directly involved in the protocol talks alongside the Foreign Secretary James Cleverly.

But the Northern Ireland secretary's team insist the timing of both visits is co-incidental.

Protocol aside, Chris Heaton-Harris is likely to face some testing questions on the government's legacy legislation.

Irish-American politicians have ramped up their campaign against the bill.