Inside Politics: Boris Johnson told to ‘step up’ and show leadership on Northern Ireland

Keir Starmer has warned the PM this is no time to be ‘absent’, writes Adam Forrest

(PA)

“The past is never dead, it’s not even past.” William Faulkner’s great line about history seems pretty apt about the political situation in Northern Ireland and the return of sectarian violence there. Perhaps James Joyce’s great line is even more fitting: “History is a nightmare from which I am trying to awake.” Boris Johnson has been urged to face up to the nightmare, after a seventh night of rioting on the streets of the province. Labour leader Keir Starmer says it’s time for the prime minister to “step up” and show some leadership.

Inside the bubble

Political editor Andrew Woodock on what to look out for today: