Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and the UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak have had a “good conversation” about the Northern Ireland Protocol. The two leaders spoke by phone on a range of issues but the conversation mostly focused on restoring the democratic institutions in Northern Ireland and the ongoing EU-UK negotiations on the protocol. The Taoiseach’s spokesperson said: “Both recognised the importance of the ongoing engagement between the EU and the UK on the protocol. Meanwhile in the London parliament Northern Ireland junior minister, Steve Baker, said all parties "want a deal" to resolve the protocol impasse. The exchanges in Westminster came as MPs debated the second reading of the Northern Ireland Budget Bill to authorise resources for public services in Northern Ireland for the years ending March 31, 2023, and 2024 because power-sharing structures are not functioning in Belfast.

Source: Irish Independent January 24, 2023 06:44 UTC