Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has told Stormont's leaders the "real work starts now" as he held talks in Belfast after power-sharing returned to Northern Ireland.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, who is also at Stormont to mark the restoration of devolution, said it was a "very positive day".
Westminster has allocated ÂŁ3.3 billion to the newly formed Executive.
However, Northern Ireland's leaders say more money is desperately needed to deliver public services.
Report by Jonesia.
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Ireland’s governing party Fine Gael has named Simon Harris as its new leader, paving the way for him to succeed former Prime Minister Leo Varadkar as the youngest Taoiseach in Irish history at age 37. Varadkar announced his surprise resignation on Wednesday, citing “personal and political, but mainly political reasons.” He had made headlines in 2017 when aged 38 he became the youngest prime minister in Irish history at that time.
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The Irish prime minister, Leo Varadkar, has announced that he is standing down from the position and also relinquishing his role as the leader of the governing Fine Gael party. Varadkar announced the surprise move at a press conference in Dublin. His departure as head of the three-party coalition does not automatically trigger a general election and he could be replaced by a new Fine Gael leader.“One part of leadership is knowing when the time has come to pass on the baton to somebody else, and then having the courage to do it,” Varadkar said in an emotional statement. “That time is now. So I am resigning as president and leader of Fine Gael effective today and will resign as taoiseach (TEE-SHUHK) as soon as my successor is able to take up that office.” He said his reasons were “both personal and political”.
#LeoVaradkar #IrishPrimeMinister #Taoiseach #Resignation #ShockMove #Ireland #LeadershipChange #PoliticalNews #IrishPolitics #GovernmentReshuffle #PoliticalShift #IrishGovernment #TaoiseachResigns #LeoVaradkarResigns #IrishLeadership #IrishGovernmentCrisis #PoliticalSurprise #IrishNews #ResignationNews #NewLeadership
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Rishi Sunak has said that "after a difficult couple of years", the UK has made the case that it is now the "best place" to start and invest in a business. Speaking at a PM Connect event at Siemens Healthineers factory, the prime minister added that the latest ONS figures showing a 0.6% growth in the economy gives him "enormous confidence and optimism that we are on the right track". Report by Brooksl. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
Rishi Sunak has said he is "encouraged" that the economy has "real momentum", after the latest ONS figures show the UK economy is has grown by 0.6% between January and March. The prime minister added "we are heading in the right direction and people will start to feel that change". Report by Brooksl. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
Rishi Sunak has accused Sir Keir Starmer of "rank hypocrisy" over the Labour leader's plan to establish a new Border Security Command to tackle people-smuggling gangs bringing migrants across the Channel. The prime minister says Labour's plan will "offer an amnesty to illegal migrants" and that the government will get its planes to Rwanda off the ground. Report by Brooksl. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
Rishi Sunak will meet with university bosses in Downing Street on Thursday to call on them to take a "zero tolerance" approach to antisemitism. Sky News
Rishi Sunak said he is "deeply concerned" about a potential Israeli offensive in the city of Rafah. "I've been very consistent that we are deeply concerned about the prospect of a military incursion into Rafah, given the number of civilians that are sheltering there and the importance of that crossing for aid," he added. Report by Kennedyl. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
Hertfordshire 17-year-old Phoebe Gill moves to joint second in this year's women's world 800m rankings by clocking a sensational 1:57.86 in Belfast. BBC Sport
Kenya's Beatrice Jepkemei clinches victory in a women's record time at the Belfast Marathon as compatriot Mathew Kiplimo wins the men's event. BBC Sport
Watch, listen and follow coverage of the 2024 North West 200 international road races from the Triangle circuit on the north coast of Northern Ireland. BBC Sport
Timelapse filming show the Northern Lights putting on a spectacular show in the skies over North East of England on Friday night. Report by Blairm. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
Nick Thomas-Symonds welcomes Natalie Elphicke to the Labour Party and says her and other recent Conservative Party defections show the government is "frankly disintegrating". Report by Blairm. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
The Labour leader has said Natalie Elphicke has made clear the Conservative Party are "out of road" and "incompetent", following her defection to Labour. Sir Keir Starmer added, "I don't think she's alone", and believes there are "many Conservative supporters and voters" who feel Labour is the "only party that can take our country forward". Report by Brooksl. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
Sir Keir Starmer says Labour would scrap the government's Rwanda scheme, labelling it a "waste of taxpayers' money". The Labour leader adds a new Border Security Command would help take down people-smuggling gangs in the first place. Report by Brooksl. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
An ex-prisoner has been sentenced to an indefinite hospital order for killing an elderly mobility scooter rider. Lee Byer, 45, was psychotic when he stabbed 87-year-old Thomas O’Halloran in Greenford, west London, in August 2022. Mr O’Halloran, originally from County Clare, was well-known in the Greenford community. Byer, who had had a string of convictions, was released from Wormwood Scrubs five days before the killing. Mental health reports found Byer was psychotic, hearing voices, and suffering from paranoid schizophrenia. Report by Jonesia. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
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