Rishi Sunak outlines his vision for the next 25 years in Northern Ireland

Rishi Sunak has shared his vision for how Northern Ireland should look 25 years from now, with integrated education the norm and the “poisonous grip” of paramilitaries finally broken.

The Prime Minister said there should be an aspiration to have the institutions up and running every single year for the next quarter of a century.

The DUP is using a veto contained within the powersharing structures to prevent the operation of devolution in protest at post-Brexit trading arrangements the party contends has weakened Northern Ireland’s place within the UK.

Delivering the final speech at the conference marking the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement at Queen’s University, Mr Sunak said the 1998 deal “remains the best and only foundation for peace and prosperity”.

“And if we can take inspiration and instruction from the way peace was achieved 25 years ago, we can fulfil the true promise enshrined in that agreement – the promise of stable devolved government, a prosperous economy, and a more united society.

“That’s the future for Northern Ireland we must build,” he told the crowd in the Whitla Hall.

Mr Sunak said there is “more to do”, adding: “In 25 years, should not the poisonous grip of the paramilitaries, those gangsters and drug dealers who wrap themselves in the fake cloak of legitimacy, be broken once and for all?

“In 25 years, should not a fragment of a peace wall be nothing more than a stop on the tourist trail?

“And in 25 years, should integrated education not be the norm, rather than the exception?

“Of course, we won’t build that better future overnight. And it won’t be easy.”

Mr Sunak paid tribute to the major figures involved in the Good Friday Agreement and condemned violence.

“Because there is nothing glamorous about violence. There is nothing glorious about terror.

“Squalid acts are always justified with some false dream about what they will achieve.

“But they have never worked – and they never will.

“Instead, let us glorify moderation, romanticise respect, and make heroes of those with the courage to reject absolutes, not kill for them,” he said.

Mr Sunak said every time he visits Northern Ireland he feels more optimistic and hopeful.

“Because to paraphrase the late David Trimble, there may be hills ahead of us, but there are mountains behind,” he said.

The Good Friday Agreement left an “extraordinary and precious legacy”, Mr Sunak said, adding: “When we look back in 25 years from now, surely we should aspire for our legacy to be nothing less than this: that the institutions have been up and running for every single year.”

He told the crowd at the end of the three-day conference: “Together we must fulfil the true promise of the 1998 Agreement.

“That future enshrined in the very words of the text – of ‘sustained economic growth’, and where we tackle the problems of ‘a divided society’.

“I will give everything to help deliver that vision.”