The new first minister represents a party that does not acknowledge Northern Ireland's six counties as separate from the 26 counties in the Republic of Ireland. The historic moment has huge implications, David Blevins writes.

Ministers are portraying themselves as victims of a deal they created for Northern Ireland. A classic blame-shifting strategy.

UK PM Boris Johnson had been wildly happy about his new EU exit deal; then he introduced a law undermining both it, and the last round of trade negotiations. Speaking with two former permanent secretaries of the UK’s EU exit department, Matt Ross asks whether Johnson is applying firm leverage – or deliberately sabotaging the trade talks.

On 7 October last year, there was a defining phone call between Boris Johnson and Angel Merkel.

Fiach Kelly: The main threat from a crashout is political and constitutional, not economic.

The Tory leadership race has brought a no-deal Brexit closer. Most candidates have either elevated No Deal to a heightened form of Brexit - a "clean" Brexit - or have insisted it is preferable to an extension beyond the current Article 50 deadline of 31 October.

As Brexit looms, nationalists in Northern Ireland are increasingly looking to Dublin for representation. Now, as Ben Kelly explains, political parties are responding in new, innovative ways.