Tánaiste: 'Significant progress' has been made in protocol talks

Micheál Martin said negotiators should be given space to agree a deal which may lead to the restoration of the Northern Executive

Tánaiste Micheál Martin said a Northern Ireland protocol deal could be delivered 'in a quicker timeline than a medium-term timeline'. Picture: Niall Carson/PA

There has been "very significant progress" made in talks around the Northern Ireland protocol, the Tánaiste says, amid speculation that a deal will be announced in the coming days.

It has been suggested in London that British prime minister Rishi Sunak will announce a deal as early as Monday, but Irish Government sources said that there is "no timeline" yet and that questions remain about whether Mr Sunak's Conservative Party will agree en masse to the deal.