If Stormont is serious about reform, the time is now
Okay Stormont, if you’re actually serious about reform, the time is now
DAVID McCANN, Irish News, November 5th, 2025
Education Minister Paul Givan has resisted calls to resign and other parties have no power to remove him from his post
“The fact that within just 18 months of the institutions returning we are again questioning their stability, brings home the need to stop talking about reform and start actually looking at concrete proposals to achieve it
THIS week marks 18 months exactly until the next assembly election. In 547 days, we will be trooping off to the polls to elect our next crop of MLAs.
With each passing week that we get closer to this election, the tone and tenor of political debate get harsher and more fractious.
The appetite for controversial reforms (such as it was) is waning.
Most frustratingly, the appetite for posturing grows, and the ability to effectively govern this place becomes much harder.
This week is a case in point of what is wrong not just with our politics but with our structures of government.
Unless you have been living under a rock, you will have heard about Education Minister Paul Givan’s visit to Israel and the subsequent press release and social media post from the Department of Education.
The massive amount of criticism levelled at Givan, and the SDLP and Sinn Féin’s support for the ensuing vote of no confidence proposed by Gerry Carroll, means that the motion has the numbers to be debated on the floor of the assembly The one issue is that confidence motions are non-binding in the assembly.
The only person a minister in Northern Ireland ever needs to worry about having the confidence of is their party leader.
MLAs will stand up and criticise the minister, but they have no power to remove him from his post or hold him to account for the visit.
The entire episode exposes some troubling issues about how the devolved structures operate.
Some of the parties serving with Paul Givan in the executive will vote no confidence in his leadership of the education department – they also expressed no confidence in Gordon Lyons earlier this year – but the government will continue on.
Givan will be able to do what Lyons did earlier this year: dismiss criticism from the other parties as an attempt to gang up on the DUP.
The unionist bloc will row in behind the DUP, and the motion will go nowhere. There will be 24 hours of talk about how bizarre this system is, but no change will come of it.
Everyone wins except the voters
Everyone will declare a win, with the DUP looking like they’ve stood up against another assault by the ‘pan-nationalist front’, and the other parties supporting the motion having a ream of social media clips of MLAs criticising Givan.
Will we hear or see any serious proposals to change how ministers are held to account? No.
Will any parties see this as a moment to propose new ideas about institutional reform to take to the next election? No.
At moments like this, there is always speculation about whether these types of events could bring down Stormont again.
The nuclear button has been pushed all too often in our politics.
Since 1999, the ease with which institutions can be brought down and the lack of serious rethinking of their stability when they return simply perpetuate this vicious circle of crisis politics.
I know the executive and the assembly can be frustrating and painful to watch at times. The apathy and anger it can generate is more than understandable.
However, the fact that within just 18 months of the institutions returning we are again questioning their stability, brings home the need to stop talking about reform and start actually looking at concrete proposals to achieve it.
If we want to strengthen accountability measures in the assembly, there are ways to do so beyond simple majoritarianism.
If we wish for our governance structures to be more responsive, there are also ways to reform that protect against one community’s dominance.
Many of these proposals are not new and have been well rehearsed but there is no political appetite amongst the two main parties to pursue them. Round and round we go.
If we are not going to see any major public service reform between now and May 2027, our MLAs could use this moment to review how we reform our accountability and stability measures at Stormont.
The ideas are there; we will need the political will to make them happen.
How another flag row has Belfast City Council deeply divided again
SUZANNE BREEN POLITICAL EDITOR, Belfast Telegraph, November 5th, 2025
COMMENT: UNIONISTS AND NATIONALISTS HAVE CLASHED AND THE SPLIT IS GROWING
Thirteen years after a long and bitter row about the flying of the Union Jack, another flags dispute has beset Belfast City Hall.
Unionists are up in arms about the decision to fly the Palestinian flag on November 29 to mark the UN's international day of solidarity with the Palestinian people.
There were chaotic scenes in the council chamber on Monday night when nationalist, Green and People Before Profit councillors walked out in a row over how DUP Lord Mayor Tracy Kelly handled Sinn Fein's attempt to raise Paul Givan's trip to Israel.
The departing councillors eventually returned, and the issue was dealt with later in the meeting.
A motion of no confidence proposed by Sinn Féin's Caoimhín McCann was approved by 40 votes to 15. His colleague Ryan Murphy's resolution on flying the Palestinian flag was passed by 41 votes to 15.
Unionists accused nationalists of “time-wasting” and “creating division”. A nationalist source said there was an increasingly poisonous atmosphere in City Hall.
“Relations are bad,” the insider said, pointing to outside influences whipping up tensions over Irish language policy in particular.
“The voices of those unionist councillors doing good work on the ground are being drowned out by those fighting culture wars on the Irish language and immigration.”
Alliance’s role as ‘King maker’ declining
The source said there was less behind-the-scenes deal-making between Sinn Fein and the DUP than in previous years. They also said Alliance's power as “king-maker” on the council was disappearing.
The 22 Sinn Fein, five SDLP, three Green, and one People Before Profit councillors — along with independent Paul McCusker — now account for 32 of 60 votes at meetings. The source described it now as a “more energetic, left-wing City Hall”.
Veteran Ulster Unionist Jim Rodgers told the News Letter that the council “seems to be going from bad to worse”.
He said people were “totally and utterly disgusted” by the proposed flying of the Palestinian flag and wanted to know what was going on in “their lovely city”.
He added: “I'm in the council 33 years, and it's fast going downhill.”
DUP councillor Sarah Bunting accused some parties of trying to make the council “a mouthpiece for extremism”.
She said: “The same parties who talked about neutral working environments when it came to the flying of the Union flag now are happy to hoist the Palestinian flag for purely political reasons.
“This has exposed the reality of Belfast City Council, not just for unionists but for anyone who doesn't believe that local government should be used as a megaphone for far-left agitators. In Sinn Fein's drive not to be outdone by People Before Profit they can always rely on their willing helpers in the SDLP and Alliance Party to row in behind them.”
TUV councillor Ron McDowell believes unionists can stop the Palestinian flag being flown from City Hall on November 29.
“There are 17 unionist councillors, and we need just 15 for a call-in motion under Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 which obliges the authorities to consider the impact of their policies on good relations,” he said.
“We think the Palestinian flag is highly divisive and flying it will have a negative impact on community relations.
"There are elements of pro-Palestinian supporters who are anti-Semitic.
"I'm confident that a call-in would be successful.”
Mr McDowell rounded on Alliance for failing to support a unionist proposal two years ago that City Hall be lit up in Israel's colours after October 7.
Loyalists are organising a protest on November 29 against the “Islamic republican movement”.
Sugden to support vote of no confidence in Givan
JOHN MANLEY POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT, Irish News, November 5th, 2025
INDEPENDENT unionist Claire Sugden is to align with mostly nationalist MLAs in supporting a no-confidence vote in DUP minister Paul Givan.
The East Derry representative believes the education minister “blurred the lines between who and what he was representing” by asking his officials to publicise a visit to a school in East Jerusalem during last week’s Israeli government-sponsored “fact-finding mission” to the Middle East.
“I believe that was wrong,” the former justice minister said.
Currently absent from Stormont due to a bout of flu, Ms Sugden posted her thoughts on the controversy on Facebook.
But it’s not just the under-fire education minister she took issue with, arguing that she doesn’t have confidence “in any government minister, because all I see is a toxic Executive failing to deliver”.
“They seem to be fighting amongst themselves to somehow appease their own voters rather than doing the job of governing for everyone,” she said.
The assembly’s sole independent unionist said she has no issue with Mr Givan travelling to Israel as a private citizen, arguing “that is his free will and right”.
“I do, however, have an issue with Paul Givan, minister of education, representing Northern Ireland, the Executive, and even the UK on that trip when it appears he had no authority to do so,” she said.
“He did that when he used his departmental platform to publicise his visit. He blurred the lines between who and what he was representing and I believe that was wrong.”
Ms Sugden, who served as justice minister for 10 months up to March 2017, said holding ministerial office was a “privilege” that should be “exercised with care, humility and respect for the limits of your authority and who you are representing”.
“Does this alone warrant a motion of no confidence? For me, probably not. I would have been content if the minister had acknowledged his mistake and apologised for using his department to promote his trip,” she said.
“But he refuses and next week, because of this motion, I will be asked whether I have confidence in him as minister of education.
Paul Givan defends his trip to Israel in the assembly
“Honestly, I don’t. I don’t have confidence in any government minister, because all I see is a toxic Executive failing to deliver for the people of NI.
“They seem to be fighting amongst themselves to somehow appease their own voters rather than doing the job of governing for everyone.”
‘Performative politics’ instead of fixing problems
The East Derry MLA accused the regional administration of “failure to deliver or fix our desperately declining public services”.
“So when asked, it would be very difficult for me as a backbench MLA to say I have confidence in him or indeed any of his Executive colleagues,” she said.
“While this issue plays out, cancer patients are waiting months for hospital appointments, women and children are being abused, working parents are struggling to pay for childcare, those with special educational needs are being left behind, schools are crumbling, minorities attacked, older people are being made homeless… I could go on. This is what we should be fixing.”
She described the Assembly debate and the proposed no-confidence motion in Mr Givan as “performative” and points out that it would only be effective with cross-community support.
“It feels so hypocritical that ministers in the same Executive have signed this petition knowing full well it will change nothing,” she said.
“Those ministers will call for his resignation and then days later sit beside him at the Executive table as if nothing had happened. It’s theatre and we are all fed up.”
DUP MP Gregory Campbell said Ms Sugden was “out of touch” with a majority of unionist people in her constituency.
He claimed Mr Givan was the subject of a “political witch hunt” and said there was “absolutely nothing improper” about the education minister’s visit to Israel or his decision to visit a school in illegally-occupied East Jerusalem.
He added: “For Claire Sugden to allow herself to be drawn into Gerry Carroll’s grandstanding, with Sinn Féin and Alliance eagerly following his lead, gives a very bad message to the unionist people of East Londonderry.”
Auditors disclaim Stormont accounts for second year in row
LIAM TUNNEY, Belfast Telegraph, November 5th, 2025
Auditors have disclaimed annual accounts from a Stormont department for the second year in a row.
Department for the Economy accounts were laid in the Assembly yesterday, with Permanent Secretary Ian Snowden confirming they had been disclaimed for the second year running.
A disclaimed opinion means the regulator was unable to obtain sufficient evidence to support financial statements.
Mr Snowden said the outcome was “expected”.
“However, we continue the work that is needed to rectify complex and historic accounting issues,” he added.
“The department has made progress in the last 12 months.
“This year, the accounts have been certified and laid on time, and the improvements in the quality of the accounts have been recognised by the Audit Office.
“That said, I fully recognise the seriousness of the issues highlighted by the Audit Office.
“I am committed to addressing all issues urgently and thoroughly, and I want to thank the Audit Office for their commitment to working collaboratively with the department.”
The department's accounts include contributions from 19 bodies which vary in their accounting practices, currencies and reporting periods.
In its assessment, the Audit Office raised questions over delays and quality issues in the information supplied by Northern Regional College (NRC).
Officials said they had taken steps over the past 12 months to strengthen financial governance, including the use of a new IT system to streamline processes.
Mr Snowden added: “The department has increased direct engagement with NRC's governing body, accounting officer and senior management team, appointed a chair with strong experience in addressing governance issues, and introduced a new oversight regime.
“These measures lay the foundation for a stronger position in 2025/26 and beyond.
“The department remains fully committed to strengthening financial governance and delivering high standards of accountability to the Assembly and the public.”
It follows a similar assessment last year, when Auditor General Dorinnia Carville said the department would have been withdrawn from the audit had it been a private sector organisation.
The Audit Office was approached for comment on the latest set of accounts.
Union warns that PSNI data breach strike could cripple services
NIPSA says police force could be brought ‘to a complete stop’ in event of civilian staff industrial action
PAUL AINSWORTH, Irish News, November 5th, 2025
NIPSA has warned that the UK Treasury has not “realised the impact” a PSNI workforce strike would have on Northern Ireland.
The trade union is to ballot its members for industrial action over the failure to pay compensation to staff impacted by the 2023 PSNI data breach, in which details of thousands of its workforce and officers were mistakenly released in a Freedom of Information request.
A number of test cases are before the High Court in Belfast, which are likely to determine the level of damages to be awarded.
In September, a PSNI statement read out to the High Court said the total compensation figure agreed by Stormont was “not affordable within current PSNI funding”.
The compensation bill is estimated at more than £100m. Now NIPSA has warned that should civilian staff strike action go ahead over the failure to pay compensation, the police force could be brought “to a complete stop”.
NIPSA official Tracy Godfrey said that if a strike occurs, “we would probably have no comms for the police officers to contact each other on”.
She said there was a “clear endorsement” among NIPSA members within the PSNI workforce for action, adding that a strike ballot will be initiated.
She continued of the impact of a strike: “The call handlers, dispatchers, wouldn’t be there to answer any of the phone calls. Custody units would have to close down.
“All our CSIs, photographers, mappers, all that would just stop.”
“I don’t think the Treasury has realised the impact that this will have on Northern Ireland.
“They need to pay up.”
PSNI Assistant Chief Constable, Melanie Jones said: “Planning is underway to mitigate any risk in critical functions in the event of staff absences as a result of any industrial action.
“I want to reassure the public that we will have the resources in place to allow us to keep people safe.”
Last week Stormont’s justice minister Naomi Long branded the UK Treasury’s refusal to fund the compensation payout as “reckless”.
However, the Treasury said Chancellor Rachel Reeves “has delivered the Northern Ireland Executive its biggest financial settlement since 1998, worth £19.3 billion a year”.
Police officers ‘pressured to leave guns outside Sinn Féin offices’
CONOR SHEILS, Irish News, November 5th, 2025
PSNI SINN FEIN OFFICE GUN PROBE
THE Policing Board is set to investigate revelations that PSNI officers were told to leave their guns outside when visiting Sinn Féin offices.
It comes after former PSNI superintendent and North Antrim MLA Jon Burrows wrote to the Chief Constable Jon Boutcher about the matter.
In the letter seen by The Irish News, Mr Burrows said Sinn Féin representatives had “demanded that PSNI officers remove their personal protection firearms before entering Sinn Féin offices to deal with members of the public or on occasion when attending community meetings.”
“I have ascertained that this happened specifically in west Belfast and at other locations in Northern Ireland,” he added.
In the detailed letter he went on to say that officers may have been pressured to leave their weapons outside in the car by representatives from the party.
“It is my understanding that in a number of cases officers have rightly refused to comply with these demands. However, I am also concerned to learn that some officers may have been pressured to do so. This is completely inappropriate and cannot be allowed to continue. It is also dangerous in that firearms would be left in a car in a public place,” he added.
The Irish News has contacted Sinn Féin multiple times in recent days for comment on the matter, but the party has remained silent.
Alliance Policing Board spokesperson Nuala McAllister plans to raise the issue at the next meeting of the board.
She said the issue presented “serious concerns” and required further investigation by the Policing Board.
“PSNI officers are often placed in uniquely challenging situations, in which both their personal safety and the safety of the public is put at significant risk,” she said.
“To ask them to surrender their personal protection weapons in any instance during the carrying out of their duties would be totally inappropriate.
“These reports present some serious concerns and it’s crucial we now establish the facts around what’s happened. We will be raising this issue at Policing Board as soon as possible for further investigation.”
The Irish News understands requests were made by Sinn Féin representatives in west Belfast, Derry and Strabane, and elsewhere in the north within the last two years.
It is thought that the officers involved were from the neighbourhood teams and in some cases complied with the requests from Sinn Féin officials, but that a directive was due to be issued in recent days telling officers not to grant such requests in future.
In a statement the PSNI said they were “not aware” of any “recent” incidents in which the practice took place.
Assembly is a ‘toxic thunderdome’, says Muir
JOHN MANLEY, Irish News, November 5th, 2025
ALLIANCE minister Andrew Muir has described the Stormont assembly chamber as a “toxic thunderdome”.
He was speaking as he revealed plans to ask his fellow executive ministers to support the establishment of an independent environmental protection agency (EPA).
The watchdog’s long-awaited creation, as agreed more than five years ago in the New Decade New Approach deal that accompanied the restoration of the devolved institutions, will bring Northern Ireland’s environmental governance into line with elsewhere in Britain and Ireland.
However, the agriculture and environment minister warned yesterday that he has yet to receive support from all the assembly’s parties.
Sinn Féin’s Aoife Finnegan signalled her party’s backing for an EPA, but unionist parties are particularly reticent in supporting Mr Muir’s proposal, which is expected to be tabled when the executive meets tomorrow.
The proposed new body would be a non-departmental public body of the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, with full operational independence.
‘Lack of robust protections’ for Lough Neagh and other vital amenities
Unveiling his proposal in the assembly yesterday, Mr Muir said the region’s environment had “suffered from a lack of robust protections”.
He said a recent independent review had provided the “foundations upon which to build a brighter future for our environment”.
“We can’t continue to dodge this critical issue – now is the time for action, the people of Northern Ireland expect and deserve it,” he said.
Amid a warning from Opposition leader Matthew O’Toole that it would be “very challenging” getting the required support from his executive colleagues and ensuring the necessary legislation went through the assembly before the end of the mandate, Mr Muir conceded working in a mandatory coalition was “hard”.
“We do not see eye to eye on many different issues, but we have to work together,” the minister said.
“That is what I have sought to do since I became minister, and I will continue to do that, however, if people turn around and we start going back to the world of demands and whether the institutions are up or down, I despair.”
Mr Muir said the assembly chamber caused him “great concern”.
“It is nothing more than a toxic thunderdome in its engagement,” he said.
“Some people love that, and I think that that is poor.”
DFI and Belfast City Council clash over who clears drains
HANNAH PATTERSON, Irish News, November 5th, 2025
A DISPUTE over whose responsibility it is to clear drainage gullies has been branded “unacceptable”.
The stand-off is between the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) and Belfast City Council.
The department claims it is the council’s duty, while the council says drains and gullies are ultimately the responsibility of the DfI.
Last week’s heavy rain has emphasised the problem, with business owners, police officers and pedestrians left to clear the drains themselves.
Businesses said the flooding was largely caused by leaves blocking drains.
In south Belfast, the persistent downpour led to flooding, with Laganbank Road, Lisburn Road, Boucher Road and Botanic Avenue impacted by the deluge.
The DfI insists that the clearing of leaves is the responsibility of the council, although it does clear gullies once a year.
A department spokesperson said: “Street sweeping, including the clearing of leaves, falls under council’s responsibility as part of their remit for the collection of waste and removal of litter.
“The department aims to inspect and clean, where necessary, all gullies once annually. Further ad-hoc cleaning is also undertaken to address any specific localised issues as required, within available budgets, and in advance of and in response to severe weather events.”
However, Belfast City Council insists it is not its responsibility.
“There is no statutory duty on council to clear leaf fall during the autumn months,” it said in a statement.
“Our cleansing staff will do their best however to remove any build-up on pavements as part of their daily tasks, where and when possible… subject to the resources we have available.
“Drains and gullies are ultimately the responsibility of the Department for Infrastructure.”
In response to Friday’s events, a south Belfast SDLP councillor criticised the longstanding disagreement, describing the current situation as “unacceptable”.
Gary McKeown said: “The department says it’s the council, but the council states that it doesn’t have any statutory duty. Both can’t be true… I want to find out what the official advice is, and how the legislation is being interpreted.”
And he added: “This is completely unacceptable, and needs resolved urgently. It’s very frustrating that no one will take ownership of this, and we’ve seen the impact on people’s lives and livelihoods.
“I understand the frustration of residents and businesses and share their concern. It’s ridiculous that people were desperately trying to clear drains and keep flood waters at bay over the past few days.”
Shankill victim's brother in legal bid over rights chief's ICRIR comments
ALAN ERWIN, Belfast Telegraph and Irish News, November 5th, 2025
The brother of a schoolgirl killed in the Shankill bombing claims the head of a human rights body had no legal power to question the involvement of former RUC officers in a new legacy body, the High Court has heard.
Gary Murray is challenging Alyson Kilpatrick over comments made about the role played by a top investigator in the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR).
He also alleges she was not entitled to suggest ICRIR chief commissioner Sir Declan Morgan may have a possible conflict of interest due to his part-time involvement with the Supreme Court.
A judge yesterday listed the judicial review challenge for a hearing next month.
Mr Murray's 13-year-old sister, Leeanne, was among nine victims killed in the IRA bomb attack on a fish shop on Belfast's Shankill Road in October 1993.
He wants ICRIR to carry out a fresh examination into the atrocity in a bid to obtain further answers about what happened.
Legal proceedings centre on a press interview with Ms Kilpatrick, the chief commissioner at the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission, in July this year.
Status of ICRIR’s Senior Investigator challenged
According to the Irish News article, she expressed concerns about ICRIR lead investigator Peter Sheridan's ability to be independent based on his previous position as a senior police officer.
Issues were also raised about the potential conflict in the duties of Sir Declan, a former Lord Chief Justice in Northern Ireland.
Mr Murray's legal team claim the comments attributed to Ms Kilpatrick were unlawful and misrepresent ICRIR's independence.
The statement was made without corporate authority and went beyond the NI Human Rights Commission's statutory functions, it is contended.
Lawyers representing Mr Murray are seeking an order requiring the body to either retract the comments or clarify that they do not represent its corporate view.
In court yesterday, his barrister confirmed one of the grounds of challenge centres on Ms Kilpatrick's legal entitlement to say what she did in the interview.
“The key point is the (alleged) illegality or the powers the commissioner has,” counsel submitted.
Mr Justice McLaughlin was also told that the preliminary stage of seeking leave to apply for a judicial review was being opposed.
Steven McQuitty KC, for the chief commissioner, indicated there was a legal framework which supported the “legitimacy” of any comments under scrutiny.
Adjourning proceedings until December 3, the judge also directed that the Secretary of State should become involved as a notice party.
Outside court Mr Murray's representative, loyalist activist Jamie Bryson, claimed the comments had undermined victims' families who support the ICRIR.
Alex Burghart clarifies Tory position on border poll - UK should not be neutral in Border Poll
By David Thompson, Belfast News Letter, November 5th, 2025
The Conservative shadow Northern Ireland secretary has reversed his previous position that the UK should remain neutral in the event of a border poll – saying the government should campaign for the Union as it did in the Scottish referendum.
Alex Burghart has described the prospect of a vote on pulling Northern Ireland out of the UK as “unlikely” – arguing that ministers would be entitled to use “whatever resources were required” to maintain the Union.
In a letter in today’s News Letter, the Tory MP says that a requirement in the Belfast Agreement for “rigorous impartiality” relates to how the country is governed – and does not require neutrality on the existence of the UK.
The latest comments come after Mr Burghart faced criticism from unionist politicians for the position he set out in a BBC podcast about Northern Ireland’s constitutional position. He had said that the government should not “use the offices of state” to campaign for the Union in the event of a vote – and that the Irish government should not use its resources to back a united Ireland.
Ulster Unionist peer Lord Empey said that the Irish government would not be neutral, and the UK Government would then “be obliged to campaign for the Union”.
Writing in today’s News Letter, the shadow Northern Ireland secretary said: “On reflection, I think it is clear that, in the event of a border poll in Northern Ireland, the UK government would have a duty to campaign for the Union and not remain neutral.
Scottish referendum
“Westminster did, of course, campaign for the Union during the 2014 Scottish referendum and should – in the unlikely event of a vote in Northern Ireland – do so again”.
Nationalists have argued that the Belfast Agreement requires the UK to be neutral in the event of a vote. They cite the “rigorous impartiality” commitment, backed by both governments. That requires the sovereign government to exercise its powers “with rigorous impartiality on behalf of all the people” in terms of cultural and political rights – and equal treatment of “both communities” – but makes no mention of requirements in a border poll.
Unionists and the Conservative Party have rejected that argument – saying it merely references the government’s impartiality in terms of running the country and not advantaging one one community in Northern Ireland over another.
Labour leader and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said he would campaign for Northern Ireland to remain part of the UK if such a referendum was held in his lifetime – and that such a vote is “not even on the horizon”.
During the Scottish referendum in 2014, the UK government delivered two million booklets to households in Scotland, arguing the benefits of continued UK membership.
Then Scottish Secretary Alistair Carmichael urged people to read the material and ask themselves “do we really want to gamble all of this when the alternative is so full of risks and uncertainty?” He said the UK government “has a duty to provide people in Scotland with facts ahead of our referendum decision in September. We know that people want more information that is clear and reliable”.
Mr Burghart’s clarification of the official opposition’s position on a border poll follow a recent interview he gave to the BBC’s ‘Borderland: UK or United Ireland?’ podcast. Former DUP MP Ian Paisley had asked whether the Conservative Party would campaign to maintain the Union if they were in government during a border poll.
“Yes, the Conservative Party would. We’re the Conservative and Unionist Party. In the same way that we campaigned for Scotland to stay part of the United Kingdom in the Scottish referendum.
“It would obviously be very important, should a border poll come about, which I don’t see happening any time in the near or even medium term future, that any Secretary of State should not use the offices of state to come down on the side of one community or another”, Mr Burghart said.
He added: “There's a divide between the institutions and the politicians themselves. And obviously private individuals, who happen to be politicians, have a perfect right to go out and campaign for whatever they want. That's free society.
“I would have serious reservations about the Irish state using state funding to support one side of the vote… that sort of feels wrong to me”, the Tory MP said.
DUP leader welcomes Burghart's correction of 'misstep' on UK neutrality in border poll
By David Thompson, Belfast News Letter, November 5th, 2025
The DUP leader has welcomed Alex Burghart’s change of position on UK neutrality during any future border poll – saying the government should never be neutral about any attempt to break up the country.
Gavin Robinson was reacting to the Tory shadow Northern Ireland secretary’s retraction of his view that the government could not take sides in a referendum. Mr Burghart had made the comments in a BBC podcast which was aired last week.
In today’s News Letter, the Conservative MP has reversed that position – a move welcomed by Mr Robinson.
“The UK Government should never be neutral about any attempt to break up the United Kingdom. The notion that the Belfast Agreement demands such a position is nonsense, but it is a myth that has been so often repeated that some unfortunately have swallowed it as truth.
“I spoke with Alex last week and highlighted that his comments were a misstep that needed correcting. He has taken that step and done so clearly which is to be welcomed.
“For us here in Northern Ireland we must ensure that the value attached to the unity of our nation is not viewed with some sort of caveat in relation to Northern Ireland.
“There is nothing in the Belfast Agreement or any other agreement which prevents full support for our Union and to refute the arguments of those who wish to see it dismantled.”
The Ulster Unionist Party also welcomed the change of position from the Conservative politician. Last week, Lord Empey said that if the Irish government campaigned for Northern Ireland to leave the United Kingdom in a border poll, the British government would have to do likewise on behalf of the union.
The unionist negotiator of the Belfast Agreement, had said it is in the Irish government’s in DNA to campaign for a United Ireland.
During the BBC interview, Mr Burghart also declined to be drawn on what the criteria should be for the calling of a referendum. NI Secretary Hilary Benn previously warned that basing the decision on opinion polls would not work, because people would then focus on shaping those poll results.
Unionists need to come up with better ideas and arguments to contest elections against Reform
The new Reform UK MP, Danny Kruger, is not well-known outside political circles. Six weeks ago, though, he defected to the party from the Conservatives and it created a lot of media excitement.
By Owen Polley, Belfast News Letter, November 5th, 2025
Danny Kruger, now a Reform MP, last week set out Reform’s plans for government, including a proposal for radical public sector reform
That was because Mr Kruger was considered one of the Tories’ sharpest minds, if not one of their most high-profile faces. He was never appointed to any of the great offices of state, but he was the shadow minister of defence when he defected. And he occupied influential positions behind the scenes in Conservative administrations, from advising David Cameron to acting as Boris Johnson’s political secretary.
Although Reform has won over a lot of voters very quickly, there are legitimate questions about what it stands for and what it believes, other than opposing unchecked immigration and ‘woke’ ideas. Nigel Farage is regarded as a shrewd politician, but he is not necessarily known as a deep thinker.
This reputation has transferred itself to his party, which seemed to seize upon popular concerns, rather than explain why it wanted power. It could become regarded as serious, though, if it attracts more representatives like Kruger. And it would have a greater chance of telling a persuasive story about what it stands for.
For that reason, Mr Kruger’s attempt last week to set out Reform’s plans for government was intriguing.
These proposals focused on radically reforming the public sector, by cutting numbers of staff and making sure the civil service is directed by politicians, rather than the other way around.
That might not sound very conservative, because conservatives are supposed to defend historic British institutions and traditions. But Mr Kruger explained the project as a way of restoring important bodies to their previous purposes, rather than ‘wrecking’ the state.
His party, he said, preferred the institutions, ideas and people of the UK to their equivalents elsewhere. “We will restore the basis of our democracy, putting ministers properly in charge of government.”
This is a worthy aim and it is consistent with Mr Kruger’s previous thinking. It is also in line with the ideas of other conservatives, like the late philosopher Roger Scruton, who believed that the organs of our state had been allowed to grow too large and become less driven by the nation’s interests.
Previously, Mr Kruger wrote a pamphlet called ‘On Fraternity’, which argued that the public sector is supposed to help British people get things done, but too often stands in their way instead. This document influenced the Conservatives when they took power back from Labour in 2010.
That these ideas are not new also shows how difficult it is to actually reform the public sector effectively.
Mr Kruger used the line about ‘restoration’ last week, but he also used a very similar phrase in a Financial Times article, back in December 2010, when the Conservatives were in the opening months of their coalition with Liberal Democrats.
Back then, he was defending the new government’s supposed zeal in modernising and decentralising the public sector. Yet, when the Tories left office, partly thanks to the Covid pandemic, the state was bigger than ever, and it interfered more in people’s lives.
NI has ‘most bloated public sector in UK’
In Northern Ireland, Reform’s approach is of particular interest, and not just because it is a serious contender to form the next national government.
Our public sector is the most bloated in the UK and Nigel Farage’s party is apparently thinking seriously about contesting elections here. A recent opinion poll suggested that almost half of unionist voters would consider supporting the party.
In this column, I’ve argued before that there are justifiable concerns about Farage’s attitude to the Union and his understanding of devolved issues. Most recently, he claimed that this province was not a priority, when he was setting out proposals to withdraw from the European Convention of Human Rights.
Self-styled progressives hate Farage almost as much as Irish nationalists. And the UUP leader, Mike Nesbitt, described his ‘English nationalism’ as the biggest threat to the Union, at his party’s annual conference.
It is actually far from clear that Mr Farage is an English nationalist. He certainly doesn’t describe himself in such terms. In response to the UUP’s claims, the TUV election candidate, Dan Boucher, pointed out that, “Most English people feel English and British.”
That should scarcely need to be pointed out to a unionist leader.
It is also much more difficult to characterise a small ‘c’ communitarian conservative like Danny Kruger in this way.
In fact, Kruger voted against the Windsor Framework, one of only 22 Tories to stand against Rishi Sunak’s deal. And he explained his decision by citing the Acts of Union and claiming that Westminster was “selling the birthright of Northern Ireland.”
Reform could pose threat to DUP and UUP
If Reform contested elections here, it could create more difficulties for unionism and the existing unionist parties. At the same time, it may persuade people who would otherwise stay at home to get out and vote for pro-Union candidates.
If it becomes broader, and encompasses more serious, centre-right politicians like Danny Kruger, Reform will certainly be less easy to ridicule and dismiss.
The Northern Irish unionist parties, meanwhile, should meet competition from national parties with better arguments, rather than implying they are outsiders or don’t understand us; lines which actually mirror the parochial, anti-UK views of Irish nationalists.
Because, while we’re throwing around the ‘n’ word, it could be that these slurs speak more of Ulster nationalism than English nationalism.
Fears that British Legion Poppies need EU permit unfounded
By David Thompson, Belfast News Letter, November 5th, 2025
The Secretary of State says remembrance poppy sales are not covered by EU rules under the Windsor Framework, after the government initially accepted that they were – but argued it wouldn’t be a “priority” for enforcement.
Ulster Unionist MP Robin Swann – who raised the issue in parliament – has welcomed the news that poppy sellers will not have to follow the “unnecessary” regulations.
The Royal British Legion had said that anyone selling poppies in Northern Ireland this year will be required to have EU-mandated signs and stickers on display showing they have permission to sell the charity emblems here, a situation Mr Swann branded “absurd”.
In a social media post, Hilary Benn said that rules requiring charities or companies to display signage don’t apply to poppy sellers.
“I was concerned to read reports recently about poppy sales in Northern Ireland and EU rules, and although sales are continuing as normal, I am happy to confirm that the Royal British Legion's (RBL) Poppy Appeal is not subject to the EU’s General Product Safety Regulation. I have therefore written to the Director General of the Royal British Legion in Northern Ireland to make this clear.”
Mr Swann said he was very pleased that the Secretary of State “has acted on this” – adding that “guidance will be updated to ensure those running Poppy Appeal stands and events are not asked to follow unnecessary EU GPSR Regulations”.
The South Antrim MP said the “clarity” and commitment to update guidance “is very welcome news and a win for common sense.”
The initial government response to the matter was that nothing in the EU regulation had stopped poppies being sold in NI – and the RBL are putting up stands as normal. Mr Swann described that response as dismissive, and said it “misses the point entirely”.
Last week the NIO doubled down on its position, and in a statement to the News Letter was clearly of the view that the rules did apply to poppy sales.
An NIO spokesperson said “enforcement of rules is targeted where there is an actual need based on consumer rights or safety - we cannot envisage that checking stickers on the boxes of poppy selling volunteers is a priority of those enforcing product safety rules”.
'Cushnahan was presented to me as a representative of Stormont'
SAM MCBRIDE, Belfast Telegraph, November 5th, 2025
FINANCIER TELLS OF DEALINGS WITH TWO ACCUSED DURING FAILED BID TO BUY NAMA'S NI LOANS
A top financier at a major US investment fund has told a court that Frank Cushnahan was presented to him as “a representative of the Northern Ireland government”.
James Gilbert was a senior figure at Pimco when the investment fund was privately working with Cushnahan and solicitor Ian Coulter to quietly buy Nama's entire Northern Ireland loans for more than £1 billion in 2013 and early 2014.
Under cross-examination by Frank O'Donoghue KC for Cushnahan, Mr Gilbert said that what his fund had been led to believe would happen with the sales process didn't in fact transpire.
Cushnahan (83), of Alexandra Gate in Holywood, is charged with fraud by failing to disclose information and fraud by false representation.
His co-accused, former solicitor Coulter (54), of Templepatrick Road in Ballyclare, faces two charges of fraud by false representation, and charges of making or supplying articles for use in fraud, removing criminal property, and transferring criminal property.
Both men deny all the charges.
Mr O'Donoghue took the witness to a document allegedly prepared by Cushnahan and sent to Pimco in 2013 while Cushnahan was a paid Nama adviser.
Although headed 'National Asset Management Agency' and marked 'confidential', Mr O'Donoghue put it to the witness that the document wasn't in fact created by Nama, and did not contain any confidential information.
£5 million ‘success fees’
The Crown allege that Cushnahan and Coulter were each to get a 'success fee' in the region of £5m if the deal went ahead. The prosecution allege that when the deal collapsed it was then resurrected with another fund, Cerberus, which did buy the loans and did transfer a success fee to Brown Rudnick.
During a series of questions about the putative deal which never came about, he asked: “Mr Cushnahan at no stage asked you for a success fee?”
Mr Gilbert replied: “That's correct.”
Cushnahan's counsel put it to him: “The reality was that there never was a success fee. A success fee was never paid by Pimco.”
The witness replied: “That's correct.”
The barrister asked: “Frank Cushnahan never got a penny from Pimco.”
Mr Gilbert replied: “That's correct.”
Mr O'Donoghue asked: “And he never asked for a penny.”
The witness again agreed, saying “that's correct.”
However, Mr Gilbert said his understanding was that Cushnahan was working for Pimco to help secure the deal, albeit he wasn't contracted by them directly.
Instead, he said most of his dealings with the Belfast businessman were through London lawyer Tuvi Keinan, a senior figure at US law firm Brown Rudnick.
Mr Gilbert said he was told by Mr Keinan Cushnahan was “a representative of the Northern Ireland government”.
Mr Gilbert confirmed that he thought Pimco would have an “exclusive” access to bid for Nama's Northern Ireland loans, and believed that right up to early 2014.
Pimco lawyers feared success fees might breach anti-corruption laws
The prosecution allege that the deal fell apart because Pimco's lawyers were worried the success fee might breach anti-corruption laws. Mr O'Donoghue has put it to witnesses that this was a cover and the real reason was that Pimco, which liked to do quiet deals, had been forced into an open market bidding process for loans which it thought it was bidding for without competition.
Mr Gilbert said he had thought Cushnahan would support a closed process for the sale, which gave Pimco special treatment.
However, when it was put to him that Nama chairman Frank Daly told the trial that Cushnahan had in fact agreed to an open sale at a meeting of Nama's NI Advisory Committee, Mr Gilbert said that was contrary to what he understood Cushnahan was doing.
He said his knowledge of what Cushnahan was doing for Pimco was based on what he was being told by Mr Keinan.
Crown Counsel Jonathan Kinnear KC objected as Mr O'Donoghue put some of Mr Daly's evidence to the witness.
Mr Kinnear said Mr Daly had told the court that Cushnahan didn't go against the idea of a public process, but “he didn't say he'd positively advocated for it”.
After a brief discussion with the judge in the presence of the jury, Mr O'Donoghue moved on. He put it to the witness that “there was a lot going on in Pimco” at that time.
He said it was clear that the fund would not be the beneficiary of a closed market process. Mr Gilbert agreed that was “a big disappointment to Pimco at the time” and that “the narrative that had been described to us had been broken”.
But he said that he was never explicitly told by colleagues in Pimco — which he later left — why the fund had withdrawn its bid for the loans.
Greg Berry KC for Coulter put it to the witness that the jury will later hear that a rival fund, Baupost, had not agreed to pay any success fee, contrary to what Mr Gilbert said he'd been told by Mr Keinan.
Mr Gilbert said he'd trusted Mr Keinan, saying: “Well if you can't trust a lawyer, who can you trust?”
Mr Berry said that Mr Keinan hadn't made a mistake, but had lied.
Mr Gilbert said: “If it's accurate that Baupost never agreed to pay that fee, then we were misled.”
The trial continues.
Archbishops Martin and McDowell address the 50th anniversary of the Ulster Project
Background
On 1 November, a Service of Thanksgiving was jointly held in Saint Macartin’s Church of Ireland Cathedral, Enniskillen, Diocese of Clogher, and across the road in Saint Michael’s Catholic Church, to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the Ulster Project, which offers “leadership training in conflict resolution (reconciliation) with the goal of empowering Ulster Project teens to oppose discrimination of any kind.” The Ulster Project was established in 1975 and has brought Protestant and Catholic teenagers from Northern Ireland for month-long stays with host families in the United States during the Troubles. Over the fifty years, it is estimated that 25,000 young people have participated. Please see below addresses by Archbishop John McDowell, Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland, and by Archbishop Eamon Martin, Catholic Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland, that were delivered on the day.
Archbishop John McDowell: “reconciliation is a great civic word, it is also a hard word. A very difficult thing to bring to birth or to put into effect.”
Homily of Archbishop McDowell delivered in Saint Macartin’s Cathedral, Enniskillen.
2 Corinthians 5:17-20
If I could first of all thank the organisers of this 50th anniversary celebration and thanksgiving for the Ulster Project for the invitation to speak at this service this afternoon.
It is an honour indeed to be associated in any way with a Project which I often heard people speak about when I was Bishop of Clogher. I know that the Ulster Project has cast its net much wider throughout Northern Ireland but it always appeared to me that it was very close to the heart here in Fermanagh.
Over the past fifty years, the Ulster Project has helped transform many young lives through the cooperation of a great number of quiet people-host families, volunteers, and leaders.
Today is the Feast of All Saints and, it seems particularly fitting, that we should give thanks for the lives of all of those people who gave some part of themselves to make this reconciliation initiative a success, but who are no longer with us, but who rest in God’s nearer presence.
There is one crucial difference between the reconciliation which they and their successors (many of you here in this Cathedral today) have worked so hard to bring about, and the full meaning of the word in that passage from Saint Paul.
In the Gospel Paul was not offering good advice. He was offering good news. His message was that in Jesus Christ God’s reconciliation of the world to himself was complete and it was left to the world to receive it or reject it.
You, in the Ulster Project, have been making a slightly different offer. You have been saying to young people that the work of reconciliation in Northern Ireland is very far from complete, so come and help us and we will help you make it wider and deeper. To that extent the work which you have been involved in has been even more challenging than the work of Saint Paul.
In that passage from 2 Corinthians, Paul makes a distinction between the message of reconciliation, and the ministry of reconciliation. And that is also the case with the Ulster Project. The message is that a reconciled society in NI is the only kind of society which can nurture and fully develop the potential of all its people - in this case its young people. That is the message, and you are the people who serve that message - you are its ministers, its servants and (just like Saint Paul) its ambassadors.
Now ambassadors are usually very important people. They are given special privileges and rights because regardless of how worthy or unworthy they may be personally, they are treated as the personification of the country which they represent. But you, and I, know that is not necessarily the way everyone in NI looks on the message or the ministry of reconciliation. You also know that although reconciliation is a great civic word, it is also a hard word. A very difficult thing to bring to birth or to put into effect.
The founders and their successors in the Ulster Project wisely adopted the methods of hospitality, encounter, and ordinary friendship to achieve the goal of contributing to the building of a reconciled society. Love takes on many shapes in the world in order to achieve its ends and perhaps friendship is the most low key, the least spectacular but the longest lasting. It requires many virtues-truth telling, vulnerability, endurance and patience. Friendship is fully realistic and takes into account the way the world is and has been. Friends know that in their relationships with each other, and with the world in which they live, that there are hurts that cannot be forgotten; that lament and thanksgiving are never far apart.
You are engaged in work for the long term, in fact work that is both unending and enduring. Yet it is also work that has a thousand satisfactions and hundreds of little victories each day -harsh words left unspoken, gestures of courage and understanding quietly offered. The love and laughter of friendship. A sorrow joyfully borne.
And of course these things don’t just happen. In a society such as we have in NI, the Ulster Project deserves continued support financially and in the very practical ways by also supporting encounter programmes and committing to long term accompaniment. Encouragement too for those of us in churches to continue to partner and to invest.
But today is, above all, a day for celebration and gratitude. Celebration for all that has been achieved by way of young lives transformed and of gratitude to the many people who have made this possible. Above all, in this place, gratitude to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ as we journey with him on the path of reconciliation which lies behind us and stretches out before us. ENDS.
Archbishop Eamon Martin: “The unfinished work of peace cries out for leadership on so many levels”
Address by Archbishop Martin in Saint Michael’s Church, Enniskillen.
When we were marking the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement a few years ago, there was a definite sense of gratitude for those who had brokered the agreement, while at the same time, an acceptance that we still had a long way to go. It made me think of those words of W B Yeats, “and I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow”.
Yeats, of course, was writing about a different kind of peace and tranquility, as he dreamt about being back on the idyllic Inishfree island of his childhood, far from the grey pavements of London. Still, those poignant words speak to our “deep heart’s core” as we mark the golden anniversary of the Ulster Project. We are thankful to God for all that has been achieved, but we’re also aware of the “unfinished work” of our peace.
The Gospel passage we have just heard speaks of the coming of God’s kingdom in terms of sowing seeds - seeds that are sown in Hope, and reaped in Joy. The growth of those seeds, although sure and steady, largely happens “out of sight; out of mind”. “Night and day”, we are told, “the seed sprouts and grows - all by itself - first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head” and then, eventually, the harvest!
Today we rightly celebrate the significant harvest of the Ulster Project in helping to ‘build peace and shape the future’ over the past fifty years. Many of those who participated look back on their experience as “life changing”, but the Project was never about quick fixes or instant results. Much of the Project’s success has been gradual, often “out of sight, out of mind”, but still, it has slowly but surely helped to transform many young Christians into respectful leaders and peacemakers, who have the confidence to make a difference.
The prophetic founders and early supporters of the Ulster Project, on both sides of the Atlantic, knew that “peace comes dropping slow”, but they were determined to start somewhere. They were inspired by Faith and Hope to ask again that Gospel question: “Who is my neighbour?” They had a conviction that ultimately Good is stronger than Evil, love conquers hate, and even the smallest seed can sprout and grow into a great tree where people can gather and find shelter.
The fruits of the Ulster Project are therefore best found deep in the hearts and minds of its many past participants - now “influencers” - who have positively shaped attitudes and behaviours here, at first with their own family members and friends at school; later with their peers and colleagues, eventually teaching tolerance and respect to their own children, and now, for some, possibly even grandchildren!
But the work of peace-making remains far from over and, as Archbishop John reminded us, we all share the responsibility to be ministers - ambassadors even - of reconciliation, healing and peace. We are under no illusions; this work is not easy, especially where pain and unresolved grief lingers; when progress is stalled by mistrust or even reversed by a kind of tribal politics that thrives in closed echo-chambers of suspicion and “whataboutery”. All the greater need then, for new prophets to emerge among us who can open up spaces to nurture empathy and dialogue, knowing that no-one has a monopoly of the wounds of our troubled past.
The unfinished work of peace cries out for leadership on so many levels: including from churches, politicians, business people, educators, community and voluntary workers. We need more risk takers who can help us take courageous steps forward in the service of the common good. Where are they? I am confident that such leaders are out there, and many of them are numbered among the “graduates” of the Ulster Project; they remain our Hope for the present and the future.
The work of peace-building will of course never be exhausted. The question “who is my neighbour?” will always be asked of us, but hopefully in time we will be able to see beyond the usual in-fighting and the old distinctions, labels and prejudices to realise that our love and responsibility cannot be reserved only for ‘our own kind’. There are so many other marginalised people out there lying largely unnoticed ‘at the side of the road’. They are our neighbours of all persuasions who are trapped in poverty; they are the vulnerable, sick and lonely - the shunned migrant, the tormented addict, the family torn apart by the scourge of domestic violence, the despairing young adult contemplating the taking of her or his own life.
When we have the eyes to see this, and the determination as a society to do something significant about it, then we will know that our peace, which has been dropping slow, is at last maturing.
The year 2025 is a ‘Jubilee Year’ in the universal Catholic Church - that is a special year of prayer and reflection that is called every quarter of a century. The theme of this Jubilee Year is “Pilgrims of Hope”, that Christian hope which Saint Paul described to the Romans as “the Hope that does not disappoint”.
Of course 1975, the year in which the Ulster Project was founded, was also a jubilee year, and coincidentally the theme chosen back then was “Renewed in Hope”.
So, the Ulster Project was born in Hope, and continues in Hope! My hope-filled prayer then is that this anniversary will re-energise among us a spirit of solidarity and generosity so that with God’s help, we can renew our determination to shatter the prejudices and stereotypes that keep us isolated and separate; to quicken the pace of peace; and to, create a society where it is normal to be pilgrim of Hope, build bridges, cross the road and recognise that the stranger over there is really our friend. ENDS.
