Rishi Sunak has defended the £3.3bn funding deal for Northern Ireland, described as inadequate by the new executive.

The Prime Minister arrived in Northern Ireland for a flying visit in Belfast on Sunday evening in advance of a meeting on Monday with Sinn Féin’s Michelle O’Neill, who has made history by becoming the first nationalist first minister at Stormont.

Sunak said: “I’ll have very constructive meetings today with all political leaders in Stormont and the new executive.

“The funding package that we put on the table before Christmas I think has been widely recognized as being significant and generous £3.3 billion.

“It is a focus on long term sustainability, ensuring that Northern Ireland has the funding it needs, not just for today to deal with the immediate challenges, but it’s on a path towards being able to provide high quality public services into the future.

“Because that’s what we want. Brighter futures for the children that I’ve been spending time with at this school here this morning.”

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