PM discusses city and growth deals with O’Neill and Little-Pengelly

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has spoken to Stormont’s leaders astir metropolis and maturation deals during the archetypal gathering of the Council of Nations and Regions successful Scotland.

Northern Ireland’s First Minister Michelle O’Neill and lawman First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly attended the acme successful Edinburgh.

The devolved leaders person antecedently expressed interest aft the Westminster Government announced past period that 4 metropolis and maturation deals successful the portion would beryllium paused.

It aboriginal emerged that the Belfast and the Londonderry and Strabane deals would not beryllium affected due to the fact that those deals were astatine a aboriginal stage.

However 2 other deals, which screen Causeway Coast and Glens and the Mid South West region, are awaiting the decision of Labour’s spending reappraisal to perceive whether the backing intermission volition beryllium lifted.

The deals, which beforehand investment and infrastructure projects successful circumstantial areas, impact bespoke backing arrangements betwixt the Treasury, the Stormont Executive and local partners.

Asked astir the contented successful Edinburgh, Sir Keir said: “When we won the predetermination conscionable implicit 3 months ago, I said I would reset relationships with Northern Ireland.

“That’s why, wrong days of being elected Prime Minister, I went to Northern Ireland to conscionable the First Minister and the lawman First Minister.

“Today I’ve continued that with the Council of Nations and Regions, with further meetings with the First Minister and the lawman First Minister.

(This is) the benignant of collaboration, sleeves rolled up, moving unneurotic crossed Northern Ireland radical privation to spot much of

Sir Keir Starmer

“We talked astir metropolis deals, we talked astir growth, we talked astir energy, we talked astir the opportunities we person to enactment unneurotic to present crossed Northern Ireland.

“That’s the benignant of collaboration, sleeves rolled up, moving unneurotic crossed Northern Ireland radical privation to spot much of.”

The Prime Minister was besides asked astir contention implicit 2 DUP Stormont ministers holding abstracted meetings with the Loyalist Communities Council (LCC), which includes representatives of loyalist paramilitary gangs.

Sir Keir said: “I’m not going to bash a moving commentary connected meetings that different politicians bash person oregon should have.

“I’ve been concentrating connected the gathering I’ve had here, which was the Council of Nations and Regions.

“And I was precise pleased to person a further accidental to walk clip with the First Minister, the lawman First Minister.

“In full today, we astir apt spent astir 3 hours successful meetings together.

“That has been good, collaborative. Very bully crossed Northern Ireland.”