Northern Ireland’s leaders have expressed concern that the Prime Minister has yet to respond to a request for talks on Stormont’s under-pressure budgetary situation.
First Minister Michelle O’Neill and deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly called for the meeting with Sir Keir Starmer a month ago amid claims the powersharing Executive’s budget was at “breaking point”.
Ministers have yet to agree a budget for the current financial year and have insisted they need more financial support from the Treasury to deliver spending plans that avoid dramatic cuts to public services.
On Friday, the co-leaders of the Executive voiced concern that internal turmoil playing out within the Labour Party was side-tracking the Prime Minister from addressing cost-of-living issues in Northern Ireland, particularly those around the price of fuel.
Ms O’Neill and Ms Little-Pengelly, who spoke to the media separately as they visited the Balmoral agricultural show near Lisburn, said events at Westminster were hampering efforts to agree a budget in Northern Ireland.
“There’s a calamity happening in Westminster and for me that underlines the fact that why we need to take control of our own fortunes here at home,” said Sinn Fein vice president Ms O’Neill.
“I think the continued mess in Westminster, whether it’s this Labour government or the previous Tory government, shows that they never prioritise the needs of people here.
“We’re here at the Balmoral show and the big issue on farmers’ minds is the cost of fuel. This is something that we’ve addressed directly to the British Prime Minister.
“We’ve asked them (UK Government) to intervene, because the levers in terms of being able to reduce taxes actually sits in Westminster, but there’s so much happening there right now, this debacle, this crisis after crisis, means that they’re not prioritised or focusing on the needs of people here.
“We continue to make that case. We have not had a response from the Prime Minister in relation to the cost-of-living issues that we have raised directly.
“But we’re going to keep knocking on that door. We’re going to keep fighting for people here, because people here deserve support to get them through these tough times.
“So, I think there’s a lot of distraction happening in Westminster, and therefore we’re only able to get into our real, meaningful discussion with those that will be able to make a decision actually to increase the budget allocation that we have here (when the distraction recedes).
“Remember, what we’re asking for is fairness for people here. We’re asking for a budget allocation that actually serves the needs of all the people.
“We’re asking for support to get people through the cost-of-living crisis, but because of the debacle that’s happening in Westminster, their minds aren’t focused, but we’re going to have to see what unfolds there.
“We’re going to have to keep fighting the fight for our own budget here, and fighting for fairness, for a settlement that actually allows us to deliver for people in the here and now.”
DUP MLA Ms Little-Pengelly said there was “a lot of distraction happening at Westminster”.
“And, of course, that’s not good for Northern Ireland,” she added.
“We want there to be a stable government in the UK to be able to work with us on those very, very important issues. We do want there to be a budget.
“There is a very sizeable gap in what we need in order to keep our frontline services running and what we have received in the budget this year.
“I’ve always said this is not about running to London and simply asking for more money.
“This is about a collaboration with the Northern Ireland Executive where we are prepared to play our part driving that efficiency, looking at how we do public services better, but we need that support in order to invest in that type of transformation, to bring about those efficiencies of services, while making sure people can still get those improvements on the services that they need, for example, on health waiting lists, access to GPs and education.
“So, these are big and important issues. We do want the situation in London to calm down. We do want there to be, of course, that stable government that we’re able to work with, and I’ve said time and time again that I am willing to work constructively with the UK Government, with Treasury, to try to make sure we can get our finances onto a sustainable footing.”
Asked if the situation at Westminster was diminishing the prospect of agreeing a budget at Stormont, Ms Litte-Pengelly said: “I think it’s very difficult. We do need, as I’ve said, that support from Treasury in my view to enable us to get that agreed budget.
“So, the sooner that those discussions can happen, the sooner we can get to the position of taking a look at how we can get that budget in place.”
A UK Government spokesperson said: “The Prime Minister is getting on with the job at hand and delivering change for people across the United Kingdom.
“The Secretary of State, on behalf of the Prime Minister, formally responded to the first and deputy first ministers on April 28, and dialogue is ongoing between the UK Government and Northern Ireland Executive.
“The UK Government has provided a £19.3 billion per year on average funding settlement for the spending review period, the largest in real-terms in the history of devolution.
“It is the responsibility of the Executive to manage that carefully. In addition to this, the Chancellor has announced over £750 million additional funding in Barnett consequentials.”
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