Three main issues on the agenda for Keir Starmer in Northern Ireland
The new UK prime minister – and indeed the entire Labour government – couldn’t have asked for a better welcome from the opposite side of the Irish Sea.
North and South, political leaders have been lining up to emphasise their warmth and positivity, and potential for a reset of relationships between London, Dublin and Belfast.
Prime minister Keir Starmer’s first visit to Belfast as premier on Monday has been hailed by Northern Secretary Hilary Benn as evidence of his boss’s commitment to this new chapter in the Anglo-Irish “partnership”. Expectations are high. The Labour government must deliver, and quickly, if those hopes are not to be turned to disillusionment.
As Starmer holds his first meeting as prime minister with the First and Deputy First Ministers on Monday, there are three issues that will certainly be on the Stormont agenda.
Casement Park
The redevelopment of this west Belfast GAA ground has been a long-running saga, but the Euro 2028 soccer tournament gave it a fresh deadline.
Matches could be held in Northern Ireland – with all the related benefits this would bring – if the stadium is ready in time.
Casement Park needs to be redeveloped quickly if it is to host matches in Euro 2028. Photograph: Inpho/Presseye/Jonathan Porter
In theory this could be an easy win, if Starmer is willing to get the chequebook out.
The Northern Secretary struck a pragmatic note on Sunday, saying that was expecting a “full, detailed briefing” on Monday on the current cost estimate. He said “there’s a certain amount in the pot, but not enough to cover what is the increased cost”.
The other issue, he said, was that deadline – “we’re well into extra time” – but there was a promise nevertheless that it would happen.
“I am looking at this urgently, it’s probably the most urgent issue on my desk ... if it’s possible in time for the Euros, if not one way or another Casement Park will have to be built.”
Legacy
Labour has pledged to “repeal and replace” the controversial Legacy Act, which ended previous methods of investigating Troubles killings and replaced them with a new investigative body, the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR).
The most controversial provision, that of amnesties for perpetrators, has already been disapplied by the High Court; for the rest, the Northern Secretary has said governance arrangements around the ICRIR must be looked at but indicated the body itself could continue to operate.
Gráinne Teggart (right), of Amnesty International, and Martina Dillon (centre), whose husband, Seamus Dillon, was gunned down by the Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF) in Dungannon in 1997, outside outside Belfast High Court in June as they took part in a demonstration in support of the families challenging the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act. Photograph: Liam McBurney/PA Wire
Crucial to this would be its acceptance by victims’ families. The ICRIR would, Mr Benn said, “have to demonstrate” to families that it can provide answers. Given how discredited the Act is, it remains to be seen whether this is possible.
“I can’t promise it will command the support of everybody,” said Mr Benn, “but at the moment it has ... the support of nobody, and that is another urgent task we will get on and work with as soon as possible.”
Long-term funding
Northern Ireland is predominantly funded by the block grant from Westminster.
Stormont argues the level of funding should be determined according to need, and in May an interim funding framework set this at £1.24 per head, compared with £1 in England.
This conversation was part of the deal that restored the Stormont government earlier this year, and discussions are continuing. The North’s Minister for Finance, Caoimhe Archibald, has already been in touch with the Treasury following Labour’s victory.
Northern Ireland Finance Minister Caoimhe Archibald. Photograph: Liam McBurney/PA Wire
Mr Benn said on Sunday discussions would continue and “there will be additional money when the main estimates are published, which I anticipate will be in the near future”.
But he also struck a warning note, saying that “historically government in Northern Ireland has not been perhaps as good as it might be at income generation, and that is something which the Executive is going to have to look at”.
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