Tony Blair and Bertie Ahern call for return of Stormont power sharing

Former British and Irish PMs add to pressure on DUP during panel event with Bill and Hillary Clinton

Tony Blair and Bertie Ahern have made an impassioned plea to the Democratic Unionist party to revive power sharing in Northern Ireland and help end the period of political instability, saying the “people on this island need them”.

The former British and Irish prime ministers told a conference in Belfast on Monday that the region’s leaders had a responsibility to break a political deadlock and safeguard peace.