Boris Johnson visits Northern Ireland amid unionist tension
Sinn Féin has refused to meet Boris Johnson as the prime minister visits Northern Ireland.
The party described Friday's visit by the PM as a publicity stunt.
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Mr Johnson said he was "always happy to meet all sides" but had been told Sinn Féin's Michelle O'Neill was "otherwise engaged".
DUP First Minister Arlene Foster urged the prime minister to stand up for Northern Ireland and ditch what she called the "intolerable" NI Protocol.
It came into effect in January as part of the Brexit deal, and means Northern Ireland remains in the EU's single market for goods, while the rest of the UK has left, so checks are required on some goods crossing the Irish Sea.
Mrs Foster said the protocol was unworkable, had the backing of no unionist parties and created societal division and economic harm rather than protecting the Belfast Agreement that effectively brought to an end Northern Ireland's Troubles.
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"Whilst grace periods have been extended unilaterally, we need a permanent solution so business can plan and the integrity of the United Kingdom internal market can be restored," said Mrs Foster, speaking after meeting the prime minister at a Covid-19 vaccination centre in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh.
The prime minister said the government's action to postpone the full implementation of the Northern Ireland protocol was "lawful and indeed right in view of the impact on the peace process and the Good Friday Agreement and the need to have consent from both communities".
"The most important thing about the protocol is that it should guarantee the peace process and the Good Friday Agreement," he said.
"There's got to be an east-west consent... as well as a north-south consent, so that's what we're doing."
'No plans to meet'
Ms O'Neill, Northern Ireland's deputy first minister, said she and her party's president, Mary Lou McDonald, had a "long-standing request" to meet the prime minister.
They wanted to discuss "a number of commitments which he and his government have reneged on in the New Decade New Approach over this past year, and also his reckless and partisan approach to the Irish protocol", she said.
"He did not facilitate the meeting," added Ms O'Neill. "I have no plans to meet with him today."
Sinn Féin MP John Finucane went further, describing the prime minister's visit as "a very superficial PR exercise".
This visit feels like the first step in the prime minister's own pathway to recovery as he seeks to repair badly damaged relations with unionists.
It was no surprise that pathway included an early trip to Fermanagh - the home of Arlene Foster.
Even before he arrived, his advance party had set the stage releasing details of events to mark Northern Ireland's centenary.
But it will take more than a special post mark, a concert and a centenary rose to heal the unionist hurt.
Far from being the union's chief cheerleader, Boris Johnson is regarded by many unionists as the prime minister who betrayed Northern Ireland by agreeing to the protocol which created the Irish Sea border.
It is going to be a tricky visit for the prime minister labelled a "lousy unionist" by an Orange Order leader.
It is no surprise that much of the visit's focus is on the battle against Covid-19 and the successful rollout of the UK's vaccine programme.
But until he comes up with a political vaccine to eradicate the Northern Ireland Protocol, the Boris Johnson pathway to unionist recovery will not be smooth.
2px presentational grey line
Health Minister Robin Swann said the success of Northern Ireland's Covid-19 vaccine programme "shows the strength of the union".
But the UUP MLA (Member of the Legislative Assembly) warned that the Northern Ireland Protocol had brought challenges, particularly in terms of medical supplies.
'Incredible' work
Earlier on Friday, Mr Johnson commended the military and emergency response teams at Aldergrove for their work throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.
Army medics were deployed to hospitals in Northern Ireland to assist staff dealing with a surge in coronavirus cases over the winter.
He thanked them for their "incredible" work in Belfast's Nightingale Hospital, where some of them gave patient care.
The prime minister also met scientists involved in vaccine research at Queen's University.
His last engagement in Northern Ireland was at medical 3D printing company Axial 3D in Belfast on Friday evening.
The prime minister last visited Northern Ireland in August - his first trip since power sharing was restored in January 2020 after a three-year hiatus.
On that trip, he held talks with Mrs Foster and Ms O'Neill at Hillsborough Castle, and also addressed criticism of plans to celebrate Northern Ireland's centenary.
Before his visit on Friday, Mr Johnson announced official events to mark the centenary of Northern Ireland.
He said the events would reflect on what made Northern Ireland "the great place it is today".