He said he was pleased with the progress in the dispute over the Northern Ireland protocol and was determined to end the deadlock over the Stormont assembly. “I think we all recognize that the protocol has a real impact on the ground, on families, on businesses in Northern Ireland, threatening Northern Ireland’s place in the UK. And I want to solve that,” he said. “I am deeply committed to the Belfast Good Friday Agreement. I want to see institutions working again in Northern Ireland, because that’s what the people of Northern Ireland need and deserve.” He added: “I am pleased with the progress we are making in these early days in this work and my focus is to try to find a solution here.” It is the first time a British prime minister has attended the biannual summit – which was organized as part of the Good Friday Agreement – ​​since Gordon Brown 15 years ago. Martin described Sunak’s decision to attend as “significant”. “The mood of the music is improving, now we have to translate that into a resolution, a negotiated resolution between the UK and the European Union,” the taoiseach said. “[Sunak] he took the first opportunity to engage with me and we appreciate that.” Downing Street said the prime minister wanted to “deepen UK-Ireland ties” after relations were close to breaking point over Brexit over the past six years. Efforts to rebuild fractured relations with Ireland and the EU have already brought more frequent engagement between Dublin and London in the two months since Boris Johnson left Downing Street. Martin said he was delighted to visit north-west England ahead of the summit. “The ties to Ireland are strong, from family to football, values ​​and trade, and we are determined to strengthen those ties,” he said. Delighted to visit Manchester to meet the Irish community and hear from some of the innovative companies working with @Entirl. The ties to Ireland are strong, from family to football, values ​​and trade – and we are determined to strengthen these links in the future. pic.twitter.com/vaDidpyJPU — Micheál Martin (@MichealMartinTD) November 10, 2022 Summits are normally attended by the Head of Government and the First Ministers of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, as well as representatives from the Isle of Man, Guernsey and Jersey. At the summit, the prime minister also met Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford. Sturgeon, who said the meeting was “cordial and constructive”, used the discussions to challenge Westminster to demand more money for the NHS, saying ministers in Scotland were “at the limit of what we can do with what we have it’s essentially a fixed budget.” . She also set out her plans to hold a second referendum on Scottish independence, telling Sunak she intended to “honour that mandate … with or without the agreement of the UK government”. The chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, and the upgrade secretary, Michael Gove, were also present.