Rishi meets the Clintons: Prime Minister Sunak gets together with Bill and Hillary at 25th anniversary of Good Friday Agreement
- Prime Minister Rishi Sunak met the Clintons at Queen’s University, Belfast, today
- All gave speeches in Belfast marking Good Friday Agreement 25th anniversary
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was today pictured meeting with Bill and Hillary Clinton at an event to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.
Mr Sunak posed for photographs alongside his wife Akshata Murthy, the Clintons and Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar in Belfast this afternoon after he delivered the closing speech at the Queen’s University conference.
The Prime Minister was pictured smiling with the Clintons as they walked around the Belfast university, before they stopped to wave at cameras on the final day of the three-day conference.
Later, they were pictured chatting, laughing and joking as they sat down to speak inside one of the university rooms.
They have been joined by several world leaders at Agreement 25 to mark the 1998 accord which brought 30 years of conflict in Northern Ireland, known as the Troubles, to an end.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was pictured meeting with Bill and Hillary Clinton to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement today
Mr Sunak posed for photographs alongside his wife Akshata Murthy, the Clintons and Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar (L-R) in Belfast this afternoon
Rishi Sunak smiles with the Clintons as they attend the the Agreement 25 conference at Queen’s University in Belfast
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak gives the closing speech at the end of the three-day conference in Belfast
The Prime Minister acknowledged that circumstances are ‘far from perfect’ in Northern Ireland considering powersharing at Stormont is yet to be restored.
However, both he and former US President Clinton praised the importance of the agreement – and called for the DUP to rejoin the Stormont Assembly, nine months after the unionist party walked out of powersharing.
Tonight, fresh from his speech, Mr Sunak will host a gala dinner at Hillsborough Castle to acknowledge the contribution of young volunteers who have promoted reconciliation in their own communities.
Several former and current world leaders, including former PM Sir Tony Blair and former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern – who signed the agreement – were seen arriving at the castle tonight.
READ MORE: Rishi Sunak turns up the heat on DUP in speech marking 25th years of Good Friday agreement warning stalled powersharing in Northern Ireland risks harming the union
Earlier today, the Prime Minister turned up the heat on the DUP tonight warned that stalled powersharing at Stormont risks harming the union.
The PM praised the ‘courage, imagination and perseverance’ of those who negotiated the Good Friday Agreement and promised to emulate their efforts by ‘giving everything’ to maintain the settlement in the province.
Mr Sunak said the Windsor Framework on post-Brexit rules that he struck with Brussels recently was ‘a breakthrough moment’ and stressed that all communities have to be involved in making peace work.
‘We will talk. We will listen. We will try to persuade, and we will not give up,’ he said.
‘And I want to speak directly for a moment to the representatives of unionism, who include many diverse voices, and whose concerns with the protocol we are focused on addressing.
Mr Sunak was pictured walking around the Queen’s University campus with the Clintons
Ireland’s Taoiseach Leo Varadkar shakes hands with former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
Mr Sunak speaks with Bill and Hillary Clinton outside Queen’s University in Belfast this afternoon
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak smiles as he chats to former US President Bill Clinton and former first lady Hillary Clinton
Mr Sunak and former US President Bill Clinton both called for the DUP to help get Stormont back up and running
The Prime Minister and his wife were all smiles with the Clintons as they walked around the university campus
Mr Sunak praised the ‘courage, imagination and perseverance’ of those who negotiated the Good Friday Agreement
‘I urge you to work with us to get Stormont up and running again. That’s the right thing to do in its own terms. And I’m convinced it’s also the right thing to do for our union.
‘Now I’m a proud unionist. We passionately believe that Northern Ireland is stronger within the United Kingdom, and the United Kingdom is stronger with Northern Ireland within it.
‘But we must also build support beyond those of us who already identify as unionists. To do that we have to show that devolved government within the United Kingdom works for Northern Ireland.’
Earlier, Mr Clinton – who played a key diplomatic role in the Good Friday Agreement – said ‘it is time to get this show on the road’.
Speaking about what needs to happen in the future, Mr Clinton said: ‘Now that I think the biggest roadblock that Brexit posed for Northern Ireland’s political and economic future has been dramatically mitigated, it’s to figure out what the heck practically is at issue here – not rhetorically, not ideologically – practically at issue.
The Prime Minister acknowledged that circumstances are ‘far from perfect’ in Northern Ireland considering powersharing at Stormont is yet to be restored
Tonight, fresh from his speech, Mr Sunak will host a gala dinner at Hillsborough Castle (pictured arriving)
Labour leader Keir Starmer, arrives for a gala dinner at Hillsborough Castle to mark the end of the conference
Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) leader Doug Beattie, arrives for a gala dinner at Hillsborough Castle
Former prime minister Sir Tony Blair – who signed the 1998 accord – arrives at the gala dinner
European Commission Vice-President for Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight Maros Sefcovic (L) greets Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris
Former British Prime Minister Theresa May pictured arriving at the gala hosted by Mr Sunak
Another former British Prime Minister in Boris Johnson also arrived in Belfast for the dinner tonight
Sinn Fein deputy leader Michelle O’Neill touched down at Hillsborough Castle, Co Down for the event
Former US President Clinton arrived at the gala with his wife and former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
(L-R) Former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern – who signed the 1998 accord – Rishi Sunak, former US Senator George Mitchell, Bill Clinton and Sir Tony Blair stand together at Hillsborough Castle
‘What else needs to change to protect the day-to-day legitimate pursuit of making a living and to deal with it.
‘But this whole deal was never supposed to be an engine of obstruction.
‘The agreement was never supposed to be used to make sure there could be no self-government.
‘We know what the votes were at the last election, we can add them up, the allocation of seats in the parliamentary body, and it is time to get this show on the road.’
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