Rishi Sunak tells Northern Ireland Executive 'work starts now' as power sharing restored

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has told Stormont’s leaders the “real work starts now” as he held talks in Belfast after power sharing returned to Northern Ireland. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, who is also at Stormont to mark the restoration of devolution, said it was a “very positive day”. The two leaders, whose governments are co-guarantors of the landmark Good Friday peace agreement, also met each other for a bilateral meeting at Parliament Buildings.

Later, Mr Sunak travelled the short distance to Stormont Castle for a meeting with Northern Ireland’s first ever nationalist First Minister, Sinn Fein’s Michelle O’Neill, and her DUP counterpart, deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly. As the meeting got under way inside the castle, Mr Sunak told the joint heads of the ministerial executive: “It has taken a lot of hard work and indeed courage to get us sitting round this table. “Today isn’t the end; it’s the beginning, and the real work starts now.”

Earlier, Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris, who accompanied Mr Sunak on his visit to Stormont, rejected claims by Stormont ministers that better funding is needed from the UK Government as power sharing returns. The Cabinet minister insisted the £3.3billion package offered by Westminster is “ample” for the Executive to “get on with the job”.

The newly-formed Executive has already written to the Prime Minister calling for urgent discussions on long-term funding stability to deliver public services. The new power-sharing Executive will also hold its first meeting on Monday as it begins the task of trying to manage Northern Ireland’s strained finances. The institutions were restored after a deal between Mr Sunak’s government and the DUP to address unionist concerns over post-Brexit trading arrangements, which included passing new legislation at Westminster. The government’s £3.3billion funding offer is aimed at stabilising finances in the region, and settling public sector pay claims. The PM has said the offer represents “a generous and fair settlement”. However, the letter from all Stormont ministers to the prime minister states that the current financial package on offer “does not provide the basis for the Executive to deliver sustainable public services and public finances”.

Ahead of Monday’s meeting with Mr Sunak, Ms O’Neill said: “If we are to tackle the serious problems across public services – in our hospitals and our schools – then how we are funded needs to change and I will be strongly pressing that point at today’s meeting. “It is critical that the Executive has the right resources to deliver effective public services for all our citizens and we will engage with the Prime Minister to achieve our shared objective.” Ms Little-Pengelly said the Executive would be “speaking with one voice” in its meeting with the PM. She added: “We will be saying that the people of Northern Ireland deserve better public services and that we need to work together – the Executive and the Government – to deliver long-term fiscal stability. “We are ready to engage with the Government and get down to the work of putting our finances on a sound footing. “However, we will also be seeking to ensure the UK Government provides sufficient funding in a package to fulfil its promises on public sector pay.”

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know.