Rishi Sunak aiming for ‘negotiated settlement’ to Northern Ireland political crisis by April, says press secretary after first face-to-face meeting with Joe Biden

Rishi Sunak is aiming to secure a "negotiated settlement" to the political crisis in Northern Ireland before the anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, his press secretary has said.

The Prime Minister met face-to-face with American President Joe Biden for the first time in Bali yesterday, as part of the G20 summit, where the leaders discussed a range of global issues including the war in Ukraine.

The allies also discussed Northern Ireland during their talks in Indonesia.

Mr Biden, who makes frequent references to his Irish ancestry and has reportedly taken a personal interest in the situation in Northern Ireland, is widely tipped to be planning a visit here to mark the 25th anniversary of the Belfast Agreement in April.

Following the talks in Bali, Mr Sunak's press secretary told reporters the Prime Minister had referred to next year’s anniversary and “ensuring that we get a negotiated settlement that protects the Good Friday Agreement by then”.

In September, following a phone call between Mr Biden and the then Prime Minister Liz Truss, a White House spokesperson had condemned "efforts to undo the Northern Ireland protocol".

Yesterday, when asked if the US president had raised concerns about the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill, the Prime Minister’s press secretary said: “Not specifically, no”.

Pressed on whether he did about the Northern Ireland situation general, she said: “Yes.”

“They both expressed their commitment to protecting the Good Friday Agreement,” she said.

The White House also confirmed the topic of conversation in a press readout of the meeting, saying the President and Prime Minister had "affirmed their shared commitment to protecting the gains of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement”.

The question of the Northern Ireland Protocol has been viewed as a possible stumbling block in efforts to secure a post-Brexit trade deal between the UK and the world's largest economy.

But Mr Sunak said he and US President Joe Biden did not discuss a US-UK trade deal “in particular” in their one-on-one talks at the G20 summit.

The Prime Minister said he was nonetheless “filled with optimism” about Britain’s ability to do more trade with the world’s biggest economy.