Ministers raise key issues during constructive meeting with PM
Date published:
First Minister Michelle O’Neill and deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly met with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer today, reinforcing the importance of continued engagement on key issues impacting Northern Ireland.
During discussions, the Ministers raised next month’s Spending Review, budgetary challenges, Welfare Reform, international trade tariffs and the EU-UK reset deal.
First Minister Michelle O’Neill said:
“It is important that we were able to meet with the Prime Minister to discuss some of the key issues affecting our people and our economy.
“We had a constructive meeting during which we spoke about the upcoming Spending Review and the impact of long-term underfunding on our public services. There is an opportunity now to rectify that, so we pressed the Prime Minister again on the need for a fair funding model to enable us to invest in our public services to ensure they can properly meet the needs of all our people.
“It was a wide-ranging meeting, and we also spoke about the EU reset deal and trade tariffs, making it clear that our unique circumstances and priorities must be considered in any trade negotiations going forward in order to further reduce barriers to growth.”
Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly said:
“We had a very constructive discussion with the Prime Minister during which we raised a number of key issues.
“In relation to the EU-UK Trade Deal we emphasised the importance of removing bureaucracy for our businesses. We recognise that there is still a lot of detail to work through, but today was an opportunity to remind the Prime Minister that it is vital Northern Ireland’s interests are protected and that the UK Government must do their bit to remove red tape and support our businesses.
“We raised issues around the Spending Review, stressing the importance of investment and proper funding for our public services. We also discussed the opportunities presented by AI and how best to use it in order to support future growth across various sectors.”
The Ministers also took part in a joint meeting with the other Devolved Administrations during which they discussed a number of issues of mutual interest.
They then joined the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden as well as the First Ministers of Scotland and Wales, the Mayor of London, the Mayors of the Combined Authorities and Combined County Authorities for the Council of the Nations and Regions meeting.
They discussed a number of issues around driving growth by making the most of trade and AI opportunities, including the use of AI to support public sector reform.