Irish and British politicians are holding talks on the economy at The Grand hotel in Brighton.

The British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly was established in 1990 as a link between the Houses of Parliament and the Oireach-tas, the Irish parliament.

The talks come in the month of the 27th anniversary of the IRA bomb at the hotel that killed five people.

Every party from the two countries is represented at the assembly but the co-chairs, Lord Cope of Berkeley and Joe McHugh, said the hotel was chosen for practical not symbolic reasons.

Lord Cope, who was in the hotel when the bomb exploded, said: “We all visit places and meet people affected by the Troubles and cannot forget those events or their victims.

"However I am confident that the positive work of institutions such as this assembly helps ensure that such tragedies do not occur in future.”

Sinn Féin has not sent any members to the meeting.