LONDON - British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told his senior ministers on Tuesday that intensive negotiations continue with the European Union on resolving their dispute over post-Brexit trading arrangements with Northern Ireland, his spokesman said.

The spokesman said Sunak was "seeking to address three main areas: safeguarding Northern Ireland's place within the union, protecting the Belfast agreement in all its dimensions and ensuring the free flow of trade within UK internal market."

(Reporting by Andrew MacAskill, Writing by Kylie MacLellan; Editing by William James)