Northern Ireland Secretary to meet ministers at Hillsborough Castle

By Gráinne Ní Aodha, Press Association

An attack on Dunmurry police station is expected to be condemned at a meeting of British and Irish ministers in Co Down on Thursday.

The British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference (BIIGC) is being held at Hillsborough Castle, where legacy issues, the Good Friday Agreement, and the stability of the devolved institutions are among the topics expected to be discussed.

Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn, Parliamentary under-secretary of state Matthew Patrick, Minister for Foreign Affairs Helen McEntee, and Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan are among those who will be in attendance.

It is expected that the ministers will condemn the attack on Dunmurry police station at the weekend, as well as the attempted attack outside Lurgan police station in March.

The dissident republican group the New IRA has claimed responsibility for the attack on Dunmurry police station, which has been widely condemned.

A male delivery driver was hijacked in west Belfast on Saturday, a device was placed inside the vehicle, and he was ordered to drive to Dunmurry police station.

The car exploded outside the station as people were being evacuated – nobody was injured.

During the BIIGC, the UK Government is also expected to emphasise its commitment to the Troubles Bill and the landmark joint agreement made with the Irish Government in September 2025.

Mr Benn is to reiterate his pledge to continue progress on the Bill early in the next session.

The conference is also expected to reflect the bilateral commitments made at the second UK-Ireland summit held earlier this year.

The summit, which was held in Cork, saw British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Taoiseach Micheál Martin release a list of agreed actions in the areas of “shared prosperity, shared seas and shared ties”.

This included a new memorandum of understanding on defence, which was described as putting a focus on maritime and cyber defence and security as well as “information sharing” in the aerial domain.

Discussions at the BIIGC will include the joint commitment to develop any future digital ID solutions together, as well as opportunities to enhance cross-border economic resilience.

The conference comes as Mr O’Callaghan is legislating to facilitate current and former Irish ministers, police officers and soldiers to give sworn testimony to the Omagh Bombing Inquiry, as part of a Memorandum of Understanding with the chair of the inquiry, Lord Turnbull.