Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has conceded that relations between Dublin and the DUP and with the British government are strained because of Brexit, but said it was not a mess of the Government’s making.

A Methodist church leader who helped oversee the peace process in the North has said political powersharing should be restored to "disarm" the dissident republican threat.

The appointment of Michelle O’Neill as Sinn Féin’s leader in the North has drawn suggestions the party is handing over power to a new, younger generation with no IRA past.

Alasdair McDonnell has said he will give up his Northern Assembly seat to concentrate on remaining an MP.