New post-Brexit trading arrangements agreed between Britain and the European Union are about improving the situation for the people of Northern Ireland, not any one political party, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Tuesday.

When asked on BBC Radio whether he would impose the new deal without the backing of Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party, Sunak said: "The framework is what we have agreed with the European Union."

"This is not necessarily about me or any one political party. This is about what's best for the people and communities and businesses of Northern Ireland and this agreement will make a hugely positive difference to them," he said. (Reporting by Sachin Ravikumar, Writing by Kylie MacLellan, Editing by Paul Sandle)