Irish PM says he will ramp up power-sharing talks with the United Kingdom


Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said Sunday that he would intensify efforts with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to restore a power-sharing agreement in Northern Ireland. It comes as debate over the proposed Windsor Framework between the European Union and the U.K. continues to grow.
"We put a huge amount of effort in the last few months into getting an agreement on revisions and reforms to the protocol," Varadkar told Irish broadcaster RTE.
Varadkar's comments came on the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, a 1998 pact between the U.K., Ireland, and Northern Irish parties that ended a 30-year violent sectarian conflict known as The Troubles. However, since then, "there has been a power-sharing stalemate ... for almost as long as it has been functioning," Bloomberg reported, largely due to disagreements over the movement of goods between Ireland and Northern Ireland.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The current trade agreement, known as the Northern Ireland Protocol, was enacted after the British departure from the EU left the Ireland-Northern Ireland border as the only remaining land crossing between the U.K. and EU. When the U.K. was part of the EU, trade could pass freely across the border.
To address the thorny trade and political issues arising from Brexit in Northern Ireland, the U.K. and EU crafted the Windsor Framework to amend the Northern Ireland Protocol to address concerns from businesses and pro-U.K. Northern Irish unionists. While the U.K. and EU have signed off on the agreement, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), a leading faction in Northern Ireland, has not. The DUP has said it would not agree to the framework without further changes, Reuters reported.
As debate over the framework continues, Varadkar told RTE he would have "deep engagement with the British government and also with the five parties in Northern Ireland to try and get the institutions up and running again."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Justin Klawans has worked as a staff writer at The Week since 2022. He began his career covering local news before joining Newsweek as a breaking news reporter, where he wrote about politics, national and global affairs, business, crime, sports, film, television and other news. Justin has also freelanced for outlets including Collider and United Press International.
-
‘We must empower young athletes with the knowledge to stay safe’
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Fox’s Kilmeade sorry for ‘just kill’ homeless remark
Speed Read Kilmeade’s ‘rare on-air apology’ also served as Fox News’ response to the controversy
-
Russian drone tests Romania as Trump spins
Speed Read Trump is ‘resisting congressional plans to impose newer and tougher penalties on Russia’s energy sector’
-
Russian drone tests Romania as Trump spins
Speed Read Trump is ‘resisting congressional plans to impose newer and tougher penalties on Russia’s energy sector’
-
House posts lewd Epstein note attributed to Trump
Speed Read The estate of Jeffrey Epstein turned over the infamous 2003 birthday note from President Donald Trump
-
Supreme Court allows 'roving' race-tied ICE raids
Speed Read The court paused a federal judge's order barring agents from detaining suspected undocumented immigrants in LA based on race
-
South Korea to fetch workers detained in Georgia raid
Speed Read More than 300 South Korean workers detained in an immigration raid at a Hyundai plant will be released
-
DC sues Trump to end Guard 'occupation'
Speed Read D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb argues that the unsolicited military presence violates the law
-
RFK Jr. faces bipartisan heat in Senate hearing
Speed Read The health secretary defended his leadership amid CDC turmoil and deflected questions about the restricted availability of vaccines
-
White House defends boat strike as legal doubts mount
Speed Read Experts say there was no legal justification for killing 11 alleged drug-traffickers
-
Epstein accusers urge full file release, hint at own list
speed read A rally was organized by Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, who are hoping to force a vote on their Epstein Files Transparency Act