Boris Johnson to Meet Irish Prime Minister During Visit to Belfast

  • First meeting between two since Martin took office in June
  • Johnson will also meet DUP’s Foster and Sinn Fein’s O’Neill
Micheal MartinPhotographer: Stephani Lecocq/AFP via Getty Images
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U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson will meet his Irish counterpart Micheal Martin for the first time on Thursday, during a visit designed to strengthen ties between London and Northern Ireland.

Although Britain is still negotiating its post-Brexit relationship with the European Union, Johnson’s agreement last year to accept a regulatory border in the Irish Sea -- thereby ensuring the Irish border with Northern Ireland remains open -- has taken much of the heat out of the issue, and Martin is unlikely to be as confrontational as his predecessor Leo Varadkar.