Tory leadership contenders Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak have set out their priorities for Northern Ireland ahead of a party hustings as they battle to become the next Prime Minister.
The two candidates to succeed Boris Johnson are set to make their pitches directly to Conservative Party members at a "sold-out" event near Belfast.
An audience of up to 250 people including party members and their guests are expected to attend the latest hustings scheduled for Wednesday afternoon.
Read more: Conservative members in Northern Ireland on what they think of final two leadership contenders
Both Ms Truss and Mr Sunak have pledged to "fix" Brexit's Northern Ireland Protocol, which was designed to prevent a hard border with the Irish Republic but has led to trade barriers with Great Britain.
Ms Truss vowed to "turbo-charge" the economy, while Mr Sunak said he was "prepared to instruct the Treasury to act directly" to tackle cost-of-living pressures if devolution is not restored.
Stormont has been in limbo since February when the DUP withdrew its First Minister from the Executive in protest over the post-Brexit Irish Sea trade deal.
As Foreign Secretary, Ms Truss introduced a divisive bill making its way through Parliament which is aimed at overriding parts of the agreement with the European Union.
A campaign spokeswoman told Belfast Live: "As Prime Minister, Liz will uphold the integrity of the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement in all its dimensions, as the cornerstone of prosperity and political stability in Northern Ireland.
"She will continue the important work she started as Foreign Secretary to fix the specific problems the protocol is causing and stand firm against overreach from the European Union."
She said Ms Truss would also press ahead with the controversial Troubles legacy bill to end prosecutions related to the conflict, saying it would "ensure the delivery of better outcomes for victims and veterans".
The spokeswoman added: "As Prime Minister, she will turbo-charge Northern Ireland’s economy through her bold economic plan to level-up right across the United Kingdom.
"She will implement low-regulation Investment Zones to drive investment and create jobs, and unleash the potential for growth in Northern Ireland."
Mr Sunak said he would call an "urgent summit with EU leaders to seek a negotiated outcome" on the protocol but the bill to scrap parts of the deal "will become law" if talks fail.
In an article for Belfast Live, the former Chancellor also pledged to act to tackle the cost-of-living crisis in the absence of a functioning Executive.
He said: "While we must get politicians back to work and restore power-sharing, I am prepared to instruct the Treasury to act directly to ensure people in Northern Ireland have the assistance they need to get through these difficult times.
"The Government needs to take bold action in these challenging times. If I am your Prime Minister, I will fix the protocol, restore the Northern Ireland Executive, and protect your family from rising energy bills this winter."
During his trip to Northern Ireland, Mr Sunak is expected to visit an East Belfast factory involved in making weapons systems used in the defence of Ukraine from Russia's invasion.
The former Chancellor will also hold meetings with members of the Northern Ireland Conservatives, which has been hit with internal disputes in recent months.
Last week former chair of the NI Conservatives Alan Dunlop said his bid to rejoin the party had been rejected.
The businessman quit the party last year over Boris Johnson's handling of the protocol and disagreements over the approach taken by some local members.
The party fielded only one candidate in May's Assembly election, chairman Matthew Robinson, who received just 254 first-preference votes.
It is estimated under 600 people in Northern Ireland are among the 160,000-strong party membership who will elect the next leader of the Conservatives.
Just four more hustings remain after the Northern Ireland event, with the last in London on August 31 ahead of the winner being announced on September 5.
Members of the NI Conservatives have previously given a mixed reaction to the final two contenders vying to become Prime Minister, with one member describing it as a "Hobson's choice".
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- DUP's Ian Paisley says Liz Truss 'has the edge' in Conservative Party leadership contest
- Northern Ireland secretary Shailesh Vara 'determined to avoid fresh Stormont elections'
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