Stormont and political system are broken, Rishi Sunak says

Rishi Sunak addressed the Conservative Party conference in Manchester

The prime minister has used his first conference speech as Conservative Party leader to say that the political system is "broken", including at Stormont.

Northern Ireland has been without a functioning devolved government since February 2022.

The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) has boycotted power-sharing over post-Brexit trade arrangements.

Addressing his party in Manchester, Rishi Sunak also spoke of political failures in Scotland and Wales.

He said there was an "undeniable sense that politics just doesn't work the way it should".

And he described it as "a feeling that Westminster is a broken system and the same goes for Holyrood, Cardiff Bay and Stormont".

Addressing an audience of Conservative members, he said: "It isn't anger - it is an exhaustion with politics.

"In particular, politicians saying things and then nothing ever changing.

"People are right. Politics doesn't work the way it should... it doesn't have to be this way."

The Conservatives have been in power since 2010.

Northern Ireland has been without a devolved government for more than a third of that time, with suspensions of Stormont between 2017 until 2020 and again for the past 19 months.

The government has been working to offer the DUP a "package of proposals" to reform an executive.

Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris in recent weeks said those negotiations were now in their final stages.

Troubles legislation defended

Earlier, Veterans Minister Johnny Mercer told the conference that the government's controversial legacy act removed the "totemic scourge" of prosecutions against veterans.

The legislation had been a long-standing commitment in the Tory manifesto.

• LIVE: Tory party conference

It received Royal Assent last month and will end investigations into Troubles-related killings and shut down inquests and civil cases.

But it has faced widespread opposition from all political parties in Northern Ireland as well as victims' groups and campaigners.

Johnny Mercer defended controversial Troubles legislation

Mr Mercer said bringing in the act was about "hard choices and principles".

"It was about honesty of what could be achieved in that space," he told delegates.

He added that it went to the heart of what the Conservatives are about and "with the act we have now achieved change".

"The hounding of these special people who stood against terror and violence in Northern Ireland on our behalf was appalling, it was a stain on our nation not just on the veterans' community."

Labour has said it will repeal the legislation if it takes power after the next general election, expected by the end of 2024.