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Home UK N. Ireland

New PM to make first visit to Stormont

July 8, 2024
in N. Ireland
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6 minutes ago

By Jayne McCormack, BBC News NI political correspondent

PA Media Michelle O'Neill, Emma Little-Pengelly and Sir Keir Starmer at Stormont CastlePA Media

Sir Keir Starmer is meeting the first and deputy first ministers at Stormont Castle as part of his first visit to Northern Ireland as prime minister.

The Labour leader is on a tour of the UK after becoming prime minister on Friday and visiting Scotland on Sunday.

He was accompanied by the new Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn and his chief of staff and former senior Stormont civil servant Sue Gray.

He is also expected to meet representatives from the Executive and opposition parties.

Ahead of the meetings, Sir Keir said “stability and certainty” would be at the centre of what his government does for Northern Ireland.

“We are the party of the Good Friday Agreement, and the stability it has brought,” he said.

“Together, as we take the steps towards a decade of national renewal, we will harness Northern Ireland’s vast economic strengths – rebuilding strong public services and generating real and tangible economic growth for working people.

“We must turn the page and secure investment, prosperity, and stability for future generations to come.”

PA Media The prime minister was greeted by the Assembly Speaker Edwin PootsPA Media

The prime minister was greeted by the Assembly Speaker Edwin Poots

Visit ‘important moment’ for NI

Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) MP Gregory Campbell said the party will be looking for commitment to “adequate funding” for Northern Ireland’s public services.

However, Mr Campbell added while Northern Ireland needs additional resources, a re-designation of funding in order to spend it better is also key.

Previously, Labour have promised to repeal the controversial Legacy Act – which had offered conditional immunity to suspects in Northern Ireland’s Trouble, however this was later disapplied by a court ruling.

Mr Campbell said that the relatives of Troubles victims need to be the primary focus of Labour’s legacy plans.

“There’s been too many attempts to rewrite the past, we can’t have any more,” he said.

Alliance minister Andrew Muir said the party’s meeting with the prime minister was an “important moment for Northern Ireland” as it reflects a “reset” for relations.

“We need stability in terms of public services, we need to be able to invest in those and that is absolutely critical,” he told BBC News NI’s Good Morning Ulster programme.

The agriculture and environment minister said that the party will also stress the need for a reform of political institutions in Northern Ireland.

“People are fed up with stop go government and we need to be able to ensure the institutions are there for the long term,” he added.

NI health service ‘in state of emergency’

Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) leader Doug Beattie said he will be bringing Health Minister Mike Nesbitt, as well as former health minister and newly elected South Antrim MP Robin Swann to the meeting with Sir Keir to send a message.

“The prime minister said our health service is broken, well our health service in Northern Ireland is in a state of emergency and I will be pressing him for direct action to assist us in that most fundamental of service,” he said.

He said specifically he will be asking for any money that comes from the Barnett Consequential – funding given to devolved institutions for public spending – to be ringfenced for Northern Ireland’s health service.

Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) leader Colum Eastwood said while it is “great that we’ve seen the back of the Tory party”, he still intends to “hold Labour’s feet to the fire”.

He said he will be talking to Sir Keir about properly funding Northern Ireland’s public services, health service as well as resetting the relationship with the Irish government.

On the Legacy Act, the Foyle MP said he was “happy” with what the government had promised so far, but would be looked for “detailed discussions” on what it is replaced with.

“The Legacy Act needs to be scrapped and replaced with something decent and honourable,” Mr Eastwood told BBC Radio Foyle’s North West Today programme.

NIO Hilary Benn and First Minister Michelle O’Neill and deputy first minister Emma Little PengellyNIO

The new Secretary of State Hilary Benn arrived in Northern Ireland on Saturday and held talks with most of the main political parties

The new Secretary of State Hilary Benn arrived in Northern Ireland on Saturday and held talks with most of the main political parties.

On Sunday, he visited businesses in Belfast city centre, where he told reporters that Casement Park “has to be built”, but urged people to bear with him while he ploughs through the issues.

Labour has been urged by political parties and sporting organisations to commit funding to ensure the stadium can be redeveloped in time for Euro 2028.

Casement Park, a Gaelic games stadium, hasn’t hosted a game since 2013 but is earmarked to be Northern Ireland’s sole venue for the tournament if it can be redeveloped in time.

There have been plans to build a new stadium there since 2011 at an original cost about of £76m, with £61m coming from Northern Ireland’s power-sharing government and £15m from the GAA.

But delays and spiralling construction costs means it has now been suggested that it could cost more than £300m.

Mr Benn said he wouldn’t be pressured into saying Casement Park will be built in time for the Euros in 2028 but said “as soon as I’m in a position to make that decision I will”.

He previously said a Labour government could not write a “blank cheque” for the redevelopment.

Analysis: Jayne McCormack, political correspondent

With Friday’s electric set of election results just about sinking in for Keir Starmer there’s no time to waste.

The last time the Labour leader went to Stormont he promised to repeal the controversial legacy act if his party took power.

On that the first and deputy first ministers and other parties have already held talks with Hilary Benn, the sixth secretary of state in five years. From the Tories, Labour has also inherited the question of cash for Casement Park’s redevelopment.

It previously said it couldn’t write a blank cheque but whether as prime minister Keir Starmer is prepared to hand over the funding will come up in many of his conversations today.



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