Prime Minister Andy Burnham will today travel to Northern Ireland for the first time since entering Downing Street, as he seeks to strengthen relations with Stormont and build a more collaborative approach to tackling the challenges facing communities across the region.
During his visit to Belfast, the Prime Minister is scheduled to meet Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O’Neill and deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly, following an introductory phone call held on his second day in office.
At that early conversation, Burnham emphasised his commitment to finding common ground and developing practical, pragmatic relationships with the Northern Ireland Executive to improve outcomes for residents.
Their first face-to-face meeting is expected to focus on easing cost-of-living pressures and delivering economic opportunities for families across Northern Ireland. Burnham will stress his desire to work in genuine partnership with the Executive to create greater financial security and better prospects for local communities.
The visit follows the Prime Minister's recent announcement that he will bring together the First Ministers of Scotland and Wales, alongside Northern Ireland’s First and deputy First Ministers, in October. The summit will focus on driving economic growth in every part of the UK and ensuring communities benefit from future investment and opportunity.
As part of his Belfast programme, Burnham will also meet representatives from Sinn Féin, the Democratic Unionist Party, Alliance Party, Ulster Unionist Party and the Social Democratic and Labour Party.
During those discussions, he is expected to reinforce the message that political leaders should prioritise solutions over division, working together to address the issues that matter most to the public.
Ahead of his political engagements, the Prime Minister will spend time with young people in Belfast to hear directly about their concerns, ambitions and hopes for the future.
The visit will include discussions with teenagers and staff involved in mentoring schemes within Belfast’s creative music sector. The programme aims to support emerging talent while strengthening Belfast’s reputation as a UNESCO City of Music.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said:
“People in Northern Ireland want more breathing space from the cost of living, good, well-paid jobs and opportunities for their children.
“Political point-scoring in the past has made this harder, not easier. We need to be better, so I want to work with the Northern Ireland Executive and the main political parties to try and make a real difference to communities here, and that’s the message I’ll be taking into my meetings later.”
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