Benn: Northern Ireland Executive must live within means to address challenges

Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn said the UK Government will work with the Executive to help ‘all parts’ of Northern Ireland ‘flourish’.

Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Hilary Benn speaks during the Labour Party conference in Liverpool (Peter Byrne/PA) (PA Wire)

Hilary Benn has said the Northern Ireland Executive must “live within its means” as he warned there are “no easy answers” to the challenges it faces.

The Northern Ireland Secretary reiterated the UK Government’s commitment to holding talks on developing longer-term spending rules and his desire to see “all parts of Northern Ireland flourish”.

He also paid tribute to First Minister Michelle O’Neill, deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly and their Executive colleagues for the “positive start” they have made since devolution was restored in February.

Speaking at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool, Mr Benn said: “Stability is the foundation of everything, and with it, and with their programme for government, the Executive can now make the most of the opportunities and address the challenges.

“The longest NHS waiting lists in the whole of the United Kingdom, the pressures in education, the lack of affordable childcare and the demands on the Police Service of Northern Ireland, whose officers do so much to keep people safe – not least during the terrible disorder of last month.

“There are no easy answers. The Executive, like all governments, must live within its means so we will support the Executive as it seeks to transform Northern Ireland’s public services.

“We get the Executive needs to be able to plan for the future so we will take forward discussions on a long-term fiscal framework.

“We understand the importance of investment in growth, including through city deals, like the one in Belfast which is roaring ahead and the one in Derry/Londonderry and Strabane that we signed only last week, which will bring huge investment to the north west of Northern Ireland.

“And we will work with the Executive to see all parts of Northern Ireland flourish.”

Mr Benn said the UK’s departure from the European Union and the “reckless approach” of successive Conservative governments have created a “problem” in Northern Ireland.

He said: “This Government will take all necessary steps to safeguard Northern Ireland’s place in the UK internal market, maintain the open border on the island of Ireland and uphold our international agreements.

“We will implement the Windsor Framework pragmatically and in good faith, we want to negotiate an SPS (sanitary and phytosanitary) and veterinary agreement with the EU, not least because it would help smooth the flow of goods across the Irish Sea.”