London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 02, 2026

Rishi Sunak praises Good Friday Agreement ahead of Joe Biden visit

Rishi Sunak praises Good Friday Agreement ahead of Joe Biden visit

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has described the Good Friday Agreement as an "incredible moment in our nation's history" as he prepares to commemorate its 25th anniversary with US President Joe Biden in Belfast this week.

The 1998 peace deal ended Northern Ireland's decades-long violent conflict known as the Troubles.

Mr Sunak will welcome the US president to Northern Ireland on Tuesday evening.

They will attend events in Belfast to mark 25 years since the agreement.

The prime minister said the agreement was a "powerfully rare example of people doing the previously unthinkable to create a better future" for Northern Ireland.

"It is that promise of a better future that we offered to everyone in Northern Ireland that I will be thinking of first and foremost over the coming days," he said.

"Making good" on that promise was his responsibility as prime minister, he added.

Speaking on Sunday, Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Leo Varadkar said he plans to "intensify" engagement with Mr Sunak over the Windsor Framework and power-sharing in Northern Ireland.

"One thing I've been struck by watching all the documentaries around the history of the Good Friday Agreement was the extent to which the taoiseach and the prime minister had to be in lock-step, and now that we have the agreement on the protocol, I think it's possible to do that.

"Certainly since Brexit, and even before Brexit, that sort of level of cooperation between the two governments, the two governments working hand-in-hand, hasn't been the same.

"And that's largely because we found ourselves in very different positions."

Leo Varadkar will host a bilateral meeting with President Biden at Farmleigh on Thursday


On Wednesday Mr Sunak will address a Queen's University Belfast conference about the Good Friday Agreement and will later host a gala dinner to commemorate the anniversary.

He has also announced that the UK will host a Northern Ireland investment summit in September.

It will connect international investors with Northern Ireland businesses and showcase the "best of what Northern Ireland has to offer", said the government.


What will Biden do in Belfast?


President Biden is due to make a speech at Ulster University's newly-opened Belfast campus on Wednesday.

It is understood that he will leave Northern Ireland that afternoon to travel to the Republic of Ireland.

His visit to Northern Ireland will be shorter than many people had expected when it was first announced last month.

Speaking after a 1916 Easter Rising commemoration in Dublin on Sunday, Sinn Féin president Mary Lou McDonald expressed disappointment that Mr Biden would not be addressing assembly members in Stormont, RTÉ reports.

"The eyes of the world are on Ireland and the north of Ireland in particular and we have a limbo situation," she said.

Ms McDonald added that the president's visit to Northern Ireland is more "low key" than in the Republic of Ireland.

The UK and Irish government have said it should not be seen as a snub.

Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris said people should "make the most" of the visit and ensure it was a "positive event".

Tánaiste (Irish Deputy Prime Minister) Micheál Martin said it would be a "manifestation of [Mr Biden's] genuine commitment to the people of Northern Ireland".

"There are many countries across the EU that would love a visit from the American president," he added.

Police in Northern Ireland have said their resources will be stretched during the president's visit.

Last week it said it had "very strong intelligence" that dissident republicans were planning attacks in Londonderry to coincide with Easter and Good Friday Agreement events.

More officers are being put on frontline duty for the coming days.


Where will Biden visit in Ireland?


During his three days in the Republic of Ireland, Mr Biden will attend engagements in Dublin, County Louth, and County Mayo.

The White House has said he is expected to address the Oireachtas (Irish parliament) on Thursday.

Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Leo Varadkar said he was delighted that President Biden would be visiting Ireland.

"When we spoke recently in the White House President Biden was clear that in celebrating the Good Friday Agreement we should be looking ahead, not backwards," he said.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK Government Confirms Rejected Asylum Seekers to Remain Amid Enforcement Challenges
UK-China Economic Talks Focus on Services Trade and High-Value Sectors
Buckingham Palace Revamp Plans Unveiled to Modernise Royal and Public Facilities
Two Dead After Light Aircraft Crash in Essex Field, Investigation Underway
Princess Diana Marked at 65 With UK Tributes Reflecting on Her Public Legacy
England Teachers Face New Pay Cap Rules for Academy School Leaders Under Education Reform
Dublin Security Alert Escalates After Stabbing and Reports of Transport Disruption
UK Government Faces Scrutiny Over £10,000 Asylum Living Cost Contribution Requirement
England Prepares World Cup Knockout Match Against Democratic Republic of Congo
Northern Rail Project Warned of HS2-Style Cost Risks by UK Parliamentary Committee
UK Tightens Asylum Rules as Most Rejected Applicants Expected to Remain in Country
UK Heat Health Alert Issued as Temperatures Expected to Exceed 30°C Across England
Halifax Brand to Disappear From UK High Streets in Lloyds Banking Group Restructuring
England Teachers Receive 6.6 Percent Pay Rise Over Two Years as Schools Warn of Budget Strain
UK Defence Spending Plan Sparks Budget Clash as Regional Infrastructure Projects Face Pressure
Inquest Continues in Northern Ireland into Death of Noah Donohoe in Belfast
UK Travel Industry Calls for Suspension of New EU Border System During Peak Holiday Season
Telegraph Media Group Acquired by German Media Firm in £575 Million Deal Completion
House of Commons Warns Northern Rail Upgrade Risks Repeating High-Speed 2 Cost Overruns
UK Transport Unions Warn of Summer Strike Action Over Pay Disputes
UK Health Secretary Calls Maternity Care Review a “Watershed Moment” for NHS Reform
Nigel Farage Faces Questions Over £270,000 Payment Linked to Gold Marketing Firm
Labour Government Faces Internal Division Over North Sea Oil and Gas Policy Direction
National Screening Committee Invites New Proposals for UK Health Screening Programmes
UK and China Hold Industrial Strategy Talks on Trade and Export Growth Opportunities
UK Defence Funding Gap Widens as £4.7 Billion Shortfall Puts Pressure on Spending Priorities
United Kingdom Faces Historic Demographic Shift as Deaths Forecast to Exceed Births in England and Wales
United Kingdom Introduces Major Motability Scheme Reforms Targeting £1 Billion in Long-Term Savings
Global Billionaire Numbers Rise 13 Percent Amid Artificial Intelligence Stock Boom
Body of Fifteen-Year-Old Boy Recovered from Manchester Reservoir
Major Rail Disruption in UK After Cows Stray Onto Intercity Tracks
UK Launches National Campaign to Reduce Water Consumption After Heatwave
Foreign Secretary David Lammy Raises Case of UK Woman Death with US Authorities
Shetland Islands Council Approves Subsea Tunnel Plans Linking Major Islands
Telegraph Media Group Takeover by German-Led Consortium Completed
Resident Doctors in England Accept Government Pay and Conditions Deal
Andy Burnham Sets Out Ten-Year Economic Vision Amid Labour Leadership Debate
Asylum Seekers in UK Face £10,000 Contribution Requirement Under New Law
UK Government Moves to Break Apple and Google App Store Dominance
New UK Steel Tariffs and Import Quotas Aim to Shield Domestic Industry
Damning Report Exposes Failures in Maternity and Neonatal Care Across England
Government Data Reveals Five Billion Pound Shortfall in UK Defence Budget
Prime Minister Keir Starmer Unveils Three Hundred Billion Pound Defence Investment Plan
UK Crime and Policing Act 2026 Comes into Force with New Justice System Reforms
UK Prime Minister Hosts NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte for Security Talks at Downing Street
UK Tightens Oversight of Emissions Trading Scheme Through New Ministerial Directions
UK Issues Statement at UN Security Council on Violence in the West Bank
UK Environment Agency Clears Illegal Waste Site in West Yorkshire After Court Action
UK Resident Sentenced for Fraudulently Claiming £30,000 in Covid Business Loans
UK Launches Taskforce to Help Young People Claim Dormant Child Trust Fund Savings
×