PM meeting with five of Northern Ireland's main political parties: 31 July 2019
Prime Minister Boris Johnson met five of Northern Ireland's main political parties in Belfast.
A Downing Street spokesperson said:
The Prime Minister met five of Northern Ireland’s main political parties today in Belfast.
The overarching purpose of these meetings was to discuss moving forward in the ongoing power sharing talks and getting the Northern Irish democratic institutions back up and running as soon as possible.
The Prime Minister told all of the parties that he was determined to bring this process to a successful conclusion and that he would do everything he could to make it happen.
He said that while there had been constructive progress in recent weeks at Stormont, that there now needed to be serious and intense engagement to get this done and that he had faith that all parties would step up to the challenge.
The discussions also included Brexit, where the Prime Minister made clear that the UK would be leaving the EU on October 31st come what may, and restated his intention to do so with a deal.
He said that in all scenarios, the Government is steadfast in its commitment to the Belfast-Good Friday Agreement and that in no circumstances would there be physical checks or infrastructure on the border.
He also made clear his belief and commitment in the rigorous impartiality set out in the Belfast-Good Friday Agreement, while at the same time reaffirming his determination to strengthen the Union and Northern Ireland’s place within it.
They also discussed what the UK Government could do to support Harland & Wolff and Wrightbus.
Alongside the new Secretary of State Julian Smith, he said he was looking forward to engaging widely and seeing more of this fantastic part of our United Kingdom.