British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak makes his first trip to Northern Ireland since taking office

Rishi Sunak, the British prime minister, visited Northern Ireland for the first time on Thursday, December 15, after entering office. He had meetings with top political party officials.

The discussion was anticipated to center on a disagreement over the post-Brexit trade laws governing the area, which has stalled normalization of relations between Britain and the EU and thrown local politics into disarray.

Britain and the European Union resumed negotiations in October after a protracted status quo.

If Britain exhibits the necessary political will, the EU has stated that it is ‘quite optimistic’ that a successful outcome is within reach.

Any accord will need to overcome resistance from both the Democratic Unionist Party, the largest pro-British party in Northern Ireland and Sunak’s own Conservative Party.

Sunak’s office posted a picture of him posing after the talks with the leaders of the five main parties, including the DUP and Irish nationalists Sinn Fein.

The DUP in February withdrew from Northern Ireland’s power-sharing government, a key part of a 1998 peace deal, in protest at the trade checks. Neither the power-sharing government or the Stormont Assembly can function without the DUP’s support.