Northern Ireland

His father was shot dead by loyalist paramilitaries in front of his family. Now, John Finucane, the son of murdered solicitor Pat Finucane, is standing as Sinn Féin’s parliamentary candidate in North Belfast. The party is confident he can take the seat from the Democratic Unionists for the first time in its history.

The former prime minister Tony Blair has said a hard Irish border would be a disaster, with an agreement the best way of limiting damage after Brexit.

The EU’s chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier has promised to work with Ireland to avoid the return of a hard border with Northern Ireland, telling a joint session of the Irish parliament that “nothing should put peace at risk.” Our Chief Correspondent Alex Thomson is in Dublin now.

Once the Brexit negotiations actually begin, a key priority will be Northern Ireland. Today the Irish prime minister said nothing should be allowed to undermine peace and stability – with no return to the old, hard border between north and south.

The Unionist-Republican divide has not been so deep for a generation – and there are growing concerns that the peace process itself is being undermined.

Ministers have appealed to nationalists and unionists in Northern Ireland to come together to avert a looming political crisis.

Northern Ireland’s deputy first minister, Martin McGuinness has resigned his post, sparking a constitutional crisis which is likely to force new elections.

Northern Ireland has reached a major international football finals for the first time in 30 years.