Joe Biden will make a personal push to unite all Northern Ireland parties

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Stormont, also known as the Northern Ireland Assembly, was set up by the Good Friday Agreement to be run via power-sharing between a nationalist party and a unionist party.

However, the DUP has refused to participate since withdrawing from power-sharing in February last year and has continued to boycott after stormy elections last May, in which Sinn Féin won the most seats – the first time a nationalist party had achieved it.

Mr Sunak hoped the Brexit deal, which changes the Northern Ireland protocol arrangements, would be enough to persuade the DUP to return to power-sharing. It was known that he wanted to strike a deal before the anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, so it was in effect before the expected visit from Mr. Biden.

But the DUP refused to endorse the so-called Windsor framework, with its MPs initially voting against the deal in the House of Commons while it considered the details.

It is understood that Mr. Biden will “encourage” all parties to do their part to bring about the return of the Stormont CEO. Mr Sunak urged “compromise” in his private remarks ahead of the visit.

A White House press spokesperson said Monday that Mr. Biden would celebrate the “tremendous progress” since the Good Friday deal and stress the need to “preserve these gains” on his journey.

Richard Neal, a leading Democrat in the US Congress, told the BBC that some “nice stimulus” and “prodding” would be done to persuade the DUP to return to Stormont in the wake of the new Brexit deal.

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