Northern Ireland's leaders have voiced concern that the Prime Minister has yet to respond to a request for talks on Stormont's under-pressure budgetary situation, amid claims that internal Labour Party turmoil is causing a distraction.
Budget stalemate continues
First Minister Michelle O'Neill and deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly called for a meeting with Sir Keir Starmer a month ago, warning that the powersharing Executive's budget was at "breaking point". Ministers have yet to agree a budget for the current financial year and insist they need more financial support from the Treasury to avoid dramatic cuts to public services.
Speaking separately at the Balmoral agricultural show near Lisburn, the co-leaders expressed concern that events at Westminster were hampering efforts to agree a budget in Northern Ireland.
O'Neill: Westminster crisis a distraction
Sinn Fein vice president Ms O'Neill said: "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. 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."
She highlighted the cost of fuel as a key issue for farmers, adding: "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."
Ms O'Neill noted that they have not received a response from the Prime Minister regarding cost-of-living issues, but vowed to continue pushing for support. She attributed the lack of meaningful discussion to the distraction at Westminster, stating: "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)."
Little-Pengelly calls for stability
DUP MLA Ms Little-Pengelly echoed the concerns, saying there was "a lot of distraction happening at Westminster" which is "not good for Northern Ireland". She emphasised the need for a stable UK government to work with the Executive on important issues, particularly the 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," she 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."
She stressed the importance of improvements in health waiting lists, access to GPs, and education. Asked if the Westminster situation diminishes the prospect of agreeing a budget, she replied: "I think it's very difficult. We do need that support from Treasury in my view to enable us to get that agreed budget. 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."
The UK Government has been approached for comment.
