Latest releases
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23 releases
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Unionist Leaders and Inter-Trade UK Business Association urge the Secretary of State to stop EU Regulation 2026/2108 deepening the Irish Sea customs border
UUP leader Jon Burrows MLA, TUV leader Jim Allister KC MP and ITUKBA chair Peter Summerton call on the Secretary of State to apply the Stormont Brake and halt EU Regulation 2026/2108, saying it deepens the Irish Sea customs border, adds bureaucracy and harms GB‑NI trade.
Constitutional affairs Economy and employment Issue: Stormont brake request on EU goods regulations Original release: Unionist Leaders and Inter-Trade UK Business Association urge the Secretary of State to stop EU Regulation 2026/2108 deepening the Irish Sea customs borderArchived copy, Internet Archive capture of 8 November 2026
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SDLP launches three-stage reform plan to end Stormont paralysis
SDLP Opposition launches its report Politics for the Common Good, calling for a three-stage reform of Stormont, including stopping a single party collapsing the Executive, introducing Joint First Ministers and relocating the Assembly to Belfast city centre.
Constitutional affairs Issue: SDLP launches Stormont reform plan Original release: SDLP launches three-stage reform plan to end Stormont paralysisArchived copy, Internet Archive capture of 8 November 2026
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SDLP Party Leader: Irish unity needs unified approach
SDLP Leader Claire Hanna MP welcomes Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael's moves towards structured preparation for Irish constitutional change, and has written to Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Tánaiste Simon Harris proposing a New Ireland Forum-style process.
Constitutional affairs Issue: Irish Government parties' unity plans Original release: SDLP Party Leader: Irish unity needs unified approachArchived copy, Internet Archive capture of 8 November 2026
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Hanna welcomes Taoiseach’s New Ireland Commitment
Claire Hanna welcomes Taoiseach's New Ireland commitment, calls for cross-community plan.
Constitutional affairs Issue: British Prime Minister and Taoiseach commitment on cross-border employment issues Original release: Hanna welcomes Taoiseach’s New Ireland CommitmentArchived copy, Internet Archive capture of 8 November 2026
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O’Toole: People Deserve a Future Beyond Political Petulance
SDLP Leader Matthew O'Toole says people deserve a future beyond political petulance and calls for a new Ireland with hope and opportunity for all.
Constitutional affairs Original release: O’Toole: People Deserve a Future Beyond Political PetulanceArchived copy, Internet Archive capture of 8 November 2026
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Hanna: UK Budget Underlines Failure of Executive to Do Its Job
SDLP Leader Claire Hanna MP welcomes any UK Budget support for Northern Ireland households facing rising energy and bill costs, but says the Executive must agree its own Budget and move away from short-term crisis management. She calls for recognition of home heating oil users and rural communities.
Public finance and taxation Economy and employment Issue: Budget announcement Original release: Hanna: UK Budget Underlines Failure of Executive to Do Its JobArchived copy, Internet Archive capture of 8 November 2026
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Hanna: Budget must deliver support now and invest in Northern Ireland's future
SDLP Leader Claire Hanna MP calls on the Chancellor to use the 2026 Budget to fund extra Home Heating Oil Support, an Essentials Guarantee for Universal Credit and extend Rural Fuel Duty Relief, and to pledge a ten‑year partnership investing in infrastructure, housing and skills to build a stronger
Public finance and taxation Economy and employment Issue: Stormont budget request for household support and infrastructure investment Original release: Hanna: Budget must deliver support now and invest in Northern Ireland's futureArchived copy, Internet Archive capture of 8 November 2026
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Swann welcomes Joint UK-EU Agreement on parcel fees ahead of Parliamentary Partnership Assembly
UUP MP Robin Swann welcomes UK-EU decisions confirmed ahead of the Withdrawal Agreement Joint Committee on 10 November, under which 'not at risk' parcels moving to Northern Ireland consumers would avoid new EU handling fees. He says uncertainty remains over how the EU AI Act applies under the…
Constitutional affairs International affairs Issue: EU handling fees on Northern Ireland parcels Original release: Swann welcomes Joint UK-EU Agreement on parcel fees ahead of Parliamentary Partnership Assembly
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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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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 gone
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Butler Announces £1.95m Investment in Endometriosis Services
UUP statement reports Health Minister Robbie Butler announcing £1.95 million for endometriosis services, including £700,000 for the Belfast and Western Trusts' Regional Endometriosis Centres and £1.25 million across the five Trusts for a new regional pathway.
Health Public finance and taxation Original release: Butler Announces £1.95m Investment in Endometriosis Services
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Health Minister: 'Let’s work together to protect our Health Service this winter'
Health Minister Robbie Butler urges the public to help protect health services this winter, as the six HSC Trusts and the PHA publish their Winter Surge plans, and asks people to get vaccinated and seek early care locally.
Health Issue: Winter Surge plans publication Original release: Health Minister: 'Let’s work together to protect our Health Service this winter'
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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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Armstrong: Labour’s red hand strikes farmers again
Ulster Unionist Deputy Leader Diana Armstrong criticises Labour's Family Farm Tax and red diesel changes. She says these policies are causing stress and financial difficulties for farmers.
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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Common sense prevails as Queen’s lifts Remembrance collarette ban
Young Unionist chairman Jay Basra welcomes Queen's University Belfast's decision to lift the ban on Orange collarettes at its Remembrance Sunday service on 8 November, saying it respects participants' identity and urging the university to consult students before future changes.
Community relations and legacy Education Original release: Common sense prevails as Queen’s lifts Remembrance collarette ban
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Queen’s urged to explain Remembrance collarette ban
Ulster Unionist Party's Jay Basra calls on Queen's University Belfast to explain its ban on Orange collarettes at Remembrance Sunday services.
Community relations and legacy Education Issue: Queen's University Belfast Remembrance Sunday service collarette ban Original release: Queen’s urged to explain Remembrance collarette ban
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Drumcree proving to be a pyrrhic victory for republicans – Empey
UUP peer Lord Empey says the recent Drumcree stand‑off has back‑fired on republicans, accusing Gerry Adams of strategic interference and Michelle O’Neill of unlawful action, and warns that sectarian attacks and rising immigration undermine a united Ireland vision.
Community relations and legacy Constitutional affairs Issue: Garvaghy Road residents' protest against Orange Order march Original release: Drumcree proving to be a pyrrhic victory for republicans – Empey
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McGrath: Patients Are Waiting While Executive Fails to Deliver Budget
SDLP South Down MLA Colin McGrath says patients are paying the price as Executive failure to agree a Budget delays action on emergency department waiting times, citing September Department of Health figures and Ulster Hospital data.
Health Public finance and taxation Original release: McGrath: Patients Are Waiting While Executive Fails to Deliver Budget
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O'Toole: DUP/SF mudslinging distracting from Christmas pay scandal
SDLP Opposition Leader Matthew O'Toole MLA says a bitter DUP and Sinn Féin exchange at the Executive Office Committee distracted from civil service pay, after the Department of Finance confirmed no pay deal can reach Christmas wages without an Executive Budget.
Economy and employment Public finance and taxation Issue: Stormont brake request on Budget agreement Original release: O'Toole: DUP/SF mudslinging distracting from Christmas pay scandal