Conservative hustings: Truss and Sunak clash at the Culloden
Tory leadership candidate Liz Truss said she expects to see powersharing re-established in Northern Ireland as her protocol Bill progresses through Parliament.
Asked by a party member at a hustings in Belfast, the Foreign Secretary said: "Until we sort the issue of the Northern Ireland Protocol out we are not going to get Stormont back up and running.
"And I've been in discussions with all of the parties in Northern Ireland, I'm determined to make it happen.
"And as we make progress on the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill we will see powersharing re-established in Northern Ireland, and as well the Belfast Good Friday Agreement re-established."
She emphasised the need to make sure "UK courts are the ultimate arbiter", that east-west trade is "free flowing", and that people in Northern Ireland "can benefit from the tax benefits delivered by the UK Government".
Asked about the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill's passage through Parliament, Ms Truss said: "It might take time to get this Bill through the House of Lords, but the sooner we start, the sooner we will finish, and I am determined to get it done as quickly as possible.
"What I expect is the House of Lords will see the fact that this Bill has got a strong mandate from the House of Commons and they will understand that this is a priority for the Government to deliver."
Rishi Sunak has accused his leadership rival of setting up a "moral failure" if she does not support the most vulnerable through the cost-of-living crisis.
At the Tory hustings in Belfast, the former chancellor said: "The most important issue facing our country in the short term is how are we going to get through this winter. I think millions of people are at risk of a very tough time and I've been very clear that my plan is to support them.
"I believe that we have to support vulnerable groups, those on low incomes and pensioners, directly with financial support, because a tax cut does not work for those people.
"Liz's plan is to say 'well, I believe in tax cuts, not direct support'. I don't think that's right because a tax cut for someone on her salary means ÂŁ1,700 of help. For someone working really hard on a national living wage, in the care sector, that tax cut is worth about a Ă‚ÂŁ1 a week. For a pensioner, who is not working, that tax cut is worth precisely zero.
"That's not a plan that I think is right for our country.
"If we don't directly help those vulnerable groups, those on the lowest incomes, those pensioners, then it will be a moral failure of the Conservative government and I don't think the British people will forgive us for that."