Michelle O’Neill and Emma Little-Pengelly hold ‘constructive’ meeting with Angela Rayner

By Jonathan McCambridge, PA

Michelle O’Neill and Emma Little-Pengelly have highlighted issues facing the Stormont powersharing Executive during a meeting with the British deputy prime minister.

Angela Rayner met with the North’s First and deputy First Ministers at Hillsborough Castle in Co Down on Friday evening.

The meeting has been described as “positive and constructive”.

A social media post from the Northern Ireland Office said during the meeting they “discussed the importance of working together to address the challenges facing communities across Northern Ireland”.

A post on X from the Northern Ireland Executive said: “The First Minister and deputy First Minister held a positive and constructive meeting this evening with the Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner and NIO Minister Fleur Anderson.

“They took the opportunity to highlight some of the key issues facing the Executive.”

The visit to Northern Ireland by Ms Rayner follows a trip to Stormont by new British prime minister Keir Starmer just days after his general election victory.

Stormont ministers have raised concerns on a number of occasions with the new government about funding for public services in Northern Ireland.

Ms O’Neill has also pressed the British government for an early decision over funding for the rebuilding of the Casement Park GAA stadium in west Belfast, which has been earmarked as a location for some matches during the 2028 Euros football tournament, but which is currently derelict.

The new Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn has said Casement is one of his first priorities.

He has also said another of his priorities is to establish a new relationship between the UK government and Stormont’s powersharing Executive.