Nobody wants return of border dividing Ireland: British PM

"Nobody wants to return to the borders of the past - what we do want to do is to find a way through this that is going to work and deliver a practical solution for everybody, as part of the work we're doing to ensure that we make a success of the UK leaving the EU and that we come out of this with a deal in the interest of the whole of the UK."

In the June 23 referendum on EU membership, 56 percent of voters in Northern Ireland wanted to remain in Europe. But around Britain, Brexit won with a 52-48 margin.

The Belfast Telegraph later reported that First Minister Foster, a Democratic Unionist politician said she welcomed May's pledge to fully consult with the Stormont executive on the negotiations with the EU, but Sinn Fein's McGuinness said he told May that "Brexit brought no good news whatsoever. I made it clear to the British Prime Minister that the democratically expressed wishes of the people of the North, who see their future in Europe, who voted to remain in Europe, should be respected."

Following the Prime Minister's departure from Stormont Castle, the divisions within the power-sharing administration on the matter were laid bare as Foster and McGuinness gave contrasting assessments of the meetings, said the newspaper.

It reported that May held a joint meeting with the two Stormont leaders before having separate one-to-one sessions with each of them individually.

The referendum result, said the Belfast Telegraph, has sparked a renewed debate on a potential referendum on Irish reunification with the Republic of Ireland.

"Mrs May's visit coincided with news that a cross-community group of Northern Ireland politicians and human-rights activists are to launch a legal challenge against Brexit," read the report.