The new Republican and Unionist leaders of Northern Ireland have united to demand more money from the UK Government to tackle the region’s problems.
Sinn Fein First Minister Michelle O’Neill and her DUP deputy Emma Little-Pengelly spoke after meeting Rishi Sunak and Irish premier Leo Varadkar at Stormont.
The powersharing institutions restarted on Saturday after a two-year suspension caused by the DUP refusing to participate after coming second in the 2022 assembly elections.
Ms O’Neill said she and Ms Little-Pengelly had presented a “united front” to Mr Sunak when they said the Treasury package of £3.3billion which helped seal the deal was not enough.
“The offer that has been put on the table sounds good on the face of it, but whenever you break it down into the details there’s a lot more to be done here,” the First Minister said.
“If we’re going to be successful politically, we need to also have the resources to deliver good public services. I think the Prime Minister heard that very loudly and clearly from both Emma and I collectively, and from all Executive colleagues.
“We have an in-tray as long as your arm in terms of the issues we need to deal with.”
Ms Little-Pengelly added: “We are only going to find resolutions for those by working together and working constructively together.
“That’s what we’re up for, I think the rest of the Executive is up for that challenge.
“We know that there’s a very clear expectation of delivery, we want to deliver, we need to fix our public services, we need to help those people who are struggling at the moment.
“So we took the opportunity this morning to raise that issue directly with the Prime Minister.”
Ms O’Neill said on Sunday that she expected there to be a poll on whether Northern Ireland should leave the UK and become part of a United Ireland within a decade.
Mr Sunak downplayed the idea in his comments, saying people wanted their politicians to focus on the “day-to-day” rather than “constitutional change”..
He said: “I had very constructive meetings this morning with the Executive, with political leaders across Stormont, and it is a historic and important day for the country, because Northern Ireland’s politicians are back in charge, making decisions on behalf of their people, which is exactly how it should be.
“Now, our new deal gives them more funding and more powers than they have ever had, so they can deliver for families and businesses across Northern Ireland. And that’s what everyone’s priority is now.
“It is not constitutional change, it is delivering on the day-to-day things that matter to people.”
Mr Varadkar refused to comment on reunification when asked by reporters.
Asked if he had “muscled in” on the PM’s visit and if the lack of a joint press conference indicated tensions between London and Dublin, he said: “I had a very good welcome and very good meeting with the Prime Minister and then a very warm welcome from the First Minister, deputy First Minister and Executive.
"And there’s a long-standing tradition since the Good Friday Agreement was signed that the Taoiseach would attend events like this.”
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