Latest releases
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146 releases
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Whitehall asleep as EU parcel tax and AI rules hit Northern Ireland
UUP spokesperson Dr Steve Aiken OBE MLA welcomes the proposed UK-EU SPS agreement but says it does not cover customs or tariffs. He criticises Whitehall's handling of the Union Customs Code parcel handling fee and EU AI Act provisions in Northern Ireland, and calls for the Stormont Brake to be used.
Constitutional affairs International affairs Issue: EU handling fees on Northern Ireland parcels Original release: Whitehall asleep as EU parcel tax and AI rules hit Northern IrelandArchived copy, Internet Archive capture of 8 November 2026
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Armstrong: Farm fire costs rose four times faster here than across the UK
Ulster Unionist MLA Diana Armstrong calls for investment in rural fire services after farm fire costs rose 73% in Northern Ireland.
Agriculture and rural affairs Economy and employment Issue: NFU Mutual's Farm Fires Report 2025 statistics release Original release: Armstrong: Farm fire costs rose four times faster here than across the UKArchived copy, Internet Archive capture of 8 November 2026
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Hunger figures must be a wake-up call for Communities Minister, says Mulholland
Alliance MLA Mulholland says new figures showing more than one in five people in Northern Ireland ran out of food and could not afford more in the last year should be a wake-up call for the Communities Minister. He calls for a funded, ambitious Anti-Poverty Strategy with deadlines and measurable…
Social security and welfare Economy and employment Issue: Stormont poverty statistics release Original release: Hunger figures must be a wake-up call for Communities Minister, says MulhollandArchived copy, Internet Archive capture of 8 November 2026
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Draft agreement between EU and British government ‘further evidence of failed Brexit project’ – Ferguson
Sinn Féin MLA Ciara Ferguson welcomes a draft agreement between the EU and the British government on food and plant products, calling it further evidence that Brexit was a failed political project. She says she met the British Cabinet Office Windsor Framework team about the announcement.
Constitutional affairs International affairs Issue: EU-UK food and plant products agreement Original release: Draft agreement between EU and British government ‘further evidence of failed Brexit project’ – Ferguson
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Aiken: Food checks deal welcome, but Irish Sea border is far from gone
UUP MLA Dr Steve Aiken welcomes the draft UK‑EU sanitary and phytosanitary agreement on food checks, but warns that Northern Ireland will stay split from the rest of the UK on many regulations and that the new EU customs code will increase trade divergence.
Constitutional affairs International affairs Issue: EU-UK food and plant products agreement Original release: Aiken: Food checks deal welcome, but Irish Sea border is far from goneArchived copy, Internet Archive capture of 8 November 2026
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TUV welcomes Carla Lockhart move
TUV leader Jim Allister welcomes Carla Lockhart MP's move away from the DUP, saying she followed her conscience, and says he looks forward to working with her on unionist issues. He claims the DUP's stance on Michelle O'Neill caused the split and is eroding its electoral base.
Constitutional affairs Issue: Carla Lockhart leaves the DUP Original release: TUV welcomes Carla Lockhart move
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Allen welcomes opening of new Harland & Wolff fabrication hall
UUP MLA Andy Allen welcomes the opening of Harland & Wolff’s new Resurgent Hall, saying the £100 million investment creates over 900 skilled jobs and apprenticeships, supports Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships and boosts Belfast’s shipbuilding future, and urges more work for local workers.
Economy and employment Issue: Harland & Wolff £100 million investment announcement Original release: Allen welcomes opening of new Harland & Wolff fabrication hall
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Sinn Féin will oppose any attempt to place British state forces beyond reach of accountability – Finucane
Sinn Féin MP John Finucane says the British government must drop proposals to give the British Attorney General final authority over conflict‑related prosecutions, arguing it would undermine the independent prosecution service established after the Good Friday Agreement and place state forces beyond
Justice and policing Community relations and legacy Issue: British government proposals to give Attorney General final say on conflict-related prosecutions Original release: Sinn Féin will oppose any attempt to place British state forces beyond reach of accountability – Finucane
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Unionist Unity and ‘O’Neill Must Stay’ don’t go together
TUV leader Jim Allister says talk of unionist unity is not substantive while the DUP keeps Sinn Féin in power and implements the Protocol, and calls for the DUP to show unity with Carla Lockhart MP over Drumcree.
Constitutional affairs Issue: DUP's unionist unity message with Sinn Fein Original release: Unionist Unity and ‘O’Neill Must Stay’ don’t go together
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Carroll: DUP Will Pocket the Wage and Wreck the Work
People Before Profit MLA Gerry Carroll responds to a DUP statement on its continued engagement in the Executive, saying the party will keep ministerial salaries while using the Petition of Concern to obstruct Assembly business. He cites the age of criminal responsibility, the Good Jobs Bill and…
Constitutional affairs Economy and employment Issue: DUP Stormont brake request on MLA wages and ministerial cars Original release: Carroll: DUP Will Pocket the Wage and Wreck the Work
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DUP putting cynical party politics ahead of people’s livelihoods, says Tennyson
Alliance MLA Naomi Long's colleague Tennyson accuses the DUP of blocking Executive participation in a UK-wide Economic Forum, calling the move self-serving and harmful to families, businesses and public sector workers facing pay disputes.
Economy and employment Public finance and taxation Original release: DUP putting cynical party politics ahead of people’s livelihoods, says Tennyson
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DUP’s sham response beyond pathetic
Traditional Unionist Voice leader Jim Allister says the DUP’s response to First Minister Michelle O’Neill was a sham, calling it pathetic, pointless and lacking principle, and contrasts it with Carla Lockhart MP’s principled stance on what must be done.
Constitutional affairs Issue: Stormont brake request on EU goods regulations Original release: DUP’s sham response beyond pathetic
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Council’s Armed Forces jobs fair ban is insulting and ridiculous
TUV West Tyrone Assembly candidate Stevan Patterson says Derry City and Strabane District Council’s decision to withdraw from any future jobs fairs involving the UK Armed Forces is ridiculous and insulting, calling the ban regressive and urging the council to allow the fair, citing recent bomb‑dis‑p
Local government Economy and employment Issue: Derry City and Strabane District Council Armed Forces jobs fair ban Original release: Council’s Armed Forces jobs fair ban is insulting and ridiculous
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Statement from the Democratic Unionist Party
The DUP accuses Sinn Féin and First Minister Michelle O'Neill of undermining the rule of law over the Garvaghy Road blockade in Portadown, and calls for transparent policing, a fresh UK security assessment and new sanctions against parties.
Justice and policing Constitutional affairs Original release: Statement from the Democratic Unionist Party
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Job Fairs decision is discrimination driven by narrow political…
DUP Foyle MLA Julie Middleton condemns Derry City and Strabane District Council's decision to pull backing from job fairs that include the Armed Forces, calling it divisive and discriminatory towards those who serve.
Economy and employment Local government Original release: Job Fairs decision is discrimination driven by narrow political…
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You cannot champion the Union by leaving Northern Ireland's chair empty
Ul Unionist Party leader Jon Burrows says the DUP's choice to exclude Northern Ireland from tomorrow's Glasgow Economic Forum harms NI's economy and the Union, urging another executive minister— such as Health Minister Robbie Butler—to attend instead.
Constitutional affairs Economy and employment Issue: DUP's decision to exclude Northern Ireland from Economic Forum in Glasgow Original release: You cannot champion the Union by leaving Northern Ireland's chair empty
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Wilson responds to Budget
DUP East Antrim MP Sammy Wilson says the Budget offers little relief from the tax burden, criticises the lack of action on family farm tax and defence spending, and says the minimum wage rise will push costs onto employers and consumers.
Public finance and taxation Economy and employment Issue: Budget announcement Original release: Wilson responds to Budget
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Armstrong: Labour’s red hand strikes farmers again
UUP Deputy Leader and Agriculture Spokesperson Diana Armstrong MLA says the Budget leaves farm families unchanged, with no amendment to the Family Farm Tax and a red diesel duty cut that ends in July next year. She also criticises the halving of Business Asset Disposal Relief and the expansion of…
Agriculture and rural affairs Public finance and taxation Issue: Labour's Family Farm Tax implementation and red diesel duty changes Original release: Armstrong: Labour’s red hand strikes farmers again
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Swann responds to Budget
UUP MP Robin Swann welcomes £7.5 million for cyber and AI research in Belfast and £1 million for a Northern Ireland Investment Summit, but says the Budget's £270 million Barnett consequentials are spread over four years and fall short. He calls for clarity on allocation this financial year and…
Public finance and taxation Economy and employment Issue: Budget announcement Original release: Swann responds to Budget
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Assembly election an opportunity to break the cycle of crises, says Tennyson, following re-selection
Alliance MLA Tennyson says the upcoming Assembly election offers voters a chance to demand better from Stormont and break the cycle of political crises, urging a shift away from deadlock, division and budget failures.
Constitutional affairs Issue: Stormont deadlock and public services disarray Original release: Assembly election an opportunity to break the cycle of crises, says Tennyson, following re-selection