Truss crowned new British PM

Local eyes are on London this week as Liz Truss takes over as British Prime Minister.

Ongoing issues with the Northern Ireland protocol were hoped to be high on the agenda but the region has seen little attention from the new Prime Minister since her election as Conservative Party leader on Monday.

The ongoing impasse over the Brexit agreement has seen the DUP refuse to enter into the Northern Ireland Executive since March. If no agreement is reached before the end of October, a fresh Assembly election must be called.

There were tough words during the Conservative leadership campaign for the European Union, with Liz Truss warning she was willing to start a trade war with the multi-nation grouping by triggering Article 16 of the Brexit agreement and suspending parts of it.

However, at the time of going to print, speculation was she was softening her position on the agreement and was hopeful of a successful renegotiation with the EU.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin was among those to congratulate Liz Truss on her elevation.

“I look forward to working with you, as PM of our nearest neighbour, on important issues we face together, both bilaterally and globally,” he said in a tweet on Monday.

Áontu leader and Meath West TD Peadar Tóibín said Northern Ireland will continue to "suffer" under the new British Prime Minister.

“There is no light at the end of the tunnel in the north. There is no evidence that the new administration will take these crises seriously. To date the north has played last fiddle to internal Tory machinations. There have been four Secretaries of State for the North of Ireland in just five years. "