UK Election 19: Taoiseach congratulates Boris Johnson on Tory victory

The Taoiseach and the Prime Minister spoke by phone this evening.

Leo Varadkar offered his congratulations to Mr Johnson on his election victory.

"They agreed there is now a significant opportunity to restore the Good Friday Agreement institutions, and pledged to work with the Northern Ireland parties to achieve this," a joint statement said.

"They also discussed how to strengthen the bilateral relationship between Ireland and the UK. Both looked forward to the smooth passage of the Withdrawal Agreement," the statement added.

Both leaders agreed to stay in close contact in the period ahead.