Rishi Sunak, has paid tribute today to the late journalist Lyra McKee, on the fourth anniversary of her death in 2019.
Lyra McKee died after being hit by a bullet during rioting in the Creggan area of Derry on April 18 2019, with dissident republican group the New IRA linked to the killing.
The remarks by the Prime Minister, who praised her as the embodiment of a “better Northern Ireland”, come as the region marks the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.
Read more: Northern Ireland secretary and Stormont parties address Belfast Good Friday Agreement conference
In a tribute issued by Downing Street to mark four years since the shooting, Mr Sunak said: “Today, we remember Lyra McKee, a journalist who caught the imagination of young people in Northern Ireland.
“In strongly rejecting sectarianism, she embodied the Northern Ireland that I see today – one of realising a better Northern Ireland than what had come before her.
“We stand united against the insidious ideology of those who stole her dreams and what she could have gone on to contribute.”
Former US president Bill Clinton and ex-US secretary of state Hillary Clinton, both in Northern Ireland to attend events reflecting on the past and future of the peace deal, were guests at a special screening in Belfast of a film about Ms McKee.
The British Prime Minister was in Belfast to meet US President Joe Biden, and will return this week to give a speech at a major conference and host a gala dinner to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.
READ NEXT:
- Recap as Bill and Hillary Clinton joined Tony Blair and Bertie Ahern for Belfast Good Friday Agreement conference
- In pictures: US President Joe Biden's historic trip to Belfast
- Derry man on meeting a former US President during a trip to the shops
- Brendan Hughes: Arlene Foster remarks on Joe Biden surprising for an ex-First Minister
For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.
