NEWS

Thursday 29 October 2026 Parents and teenagers across Northern Ireland could face significant changes to how they access social media next year, with photo identification, banking information and facial scans among the methods identified to enforce the UK Government’s planned ban for under-16s. Communications regulator Ofcom has identified four methods capable of providing highly effective age checks, as ministers prepare to publish detailed rules before the end of 2026. The

UK Chancellor John Healey before making today’s Autumn Budget. (Picture by Kirsty O'Connor / No 10 Downing Street) Wednesday 28 October 2026 Households across Northern Ireland are set to benefit from lower heating oil import costs, continued fuel duty relief and increases in the minimum wage following Budget 2026, but questions remain over electricity support, business rates and whether additional funding will ease pressure on struggling public services. Chancellor John Heale

Upper Bann MP Carla Lockhart Wednesday 28 October 2026 The High Court has ruled that the Secretary of State acted lawfully in banning an Orange Order parade along Portadown’s Garvaghy Road, while delivering a significant warning about unlawful protests, respect for the rule of law and the involvement of elected representatives. Wednesday’s judgment has prompted renewed demands from Upper Bann DUP MP Carla Lockhart for First Minister Michelle O’Neill to be removed from office,

Robin Swann MP & Ulster Unionist Party Airport District Electoral Area representative Ryan Kirkpatrick at Belfast International Airport Saturday 24 October 2026 A call to scrap or substantially reduce Air Passenger Duty (APD) on flights leaving Northern Ireland has been made ahead of the upcoming UK Budget, amid concerns that the tax is putting local airports at a competitive disadvantage against Dublin. South Antrim MP Robin Swann has written to the Chancellor of the Exchequ

Sunday 25 October 2026 Almost nine in ten farmers responding to an Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) survey say inheritance tax changes have increased stress or worry within their families, raising concerns about the emotional and financial pressures facing Northern Ireland’s farming community. The findings reveal that 88.6% of respondents reported increased family stress or worry, with 60.3% describing the increase as significant. The UFU says the uncertainty is forcing farming fa

Thursday 22 October 2026 Households across Northern Ireland are being encouraged to prepare for up to three days of disruption to essential services, as the UK Government launches a new campaign to help families cope with emergencies including severe storms and power cuts. The advice focuses on simple, affordable steps people can take before an emergency, including keeping bottled water and non-perishable food at home, and ensuring vulnerable household members are registered

Friday 16 October 2026 The future of family farming in Northern Ireland is under growing pressure, with almost nine in ten farmers reporting increased stress over inheritance tax changes and more than four in ten already cutting back on investment, according to a major new survey. The findings, published by the Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU), reveal deep concerns about whether farms built up over generations can survive being passed from parents to children, with some families a

Friday 16 October 2026 The UK Government is facing calls to establish whether the Provisional IRA still exists, retains an active leadership structure or has any operational capability, almost 11 years after an official security assessment concluded that the organisation remained in existence. Ulster Unionist Party leader Jon Burrows MLA has written to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland requesting a new assessment of all terrorist and paramilitary organisations, amid

Friday 09 October 2026 A disputed Orange Order parade at the centre of the Drumcree stand-off will not be allowed to proceed under its original authorisation, following a decision by Northern Ireland Secretary Sir Chris Bryant amid police warnings of serious injury, disorder and unrest spreading across Northern Ireland. The intervention follows unsuccessful negotiations between the Portadown District Loyal Orange Lodge and Garvaghy Road residents, with the Secretary of State

Friday 9 October 2026 Patients in the Northern Health and Social Care Trust area have faced waits of more than four years for an adult autism assessment, as a landmark independent review warns that people are being left without timely support because help is too often dependent on securing a diagnosis. The major UK Government-commissioned review, published on Friday 9 October, calls for fundamental changes to mental health, ADHD and autism services in England, arguing that pe

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Andy Burnham Thursday 08 October 2026 amilies affected by dementia could benefit from faster access to clinical trials and the development of new treatments under a £48 million UK-wide research partnership being unveiled by Prime Minister Andy Burnham. The initiative aims to overcome one of the biggest obstacles in dementia research – finding enough volunteers to test promising new medicines – while giving more people the opportunity to co

Thursday 08 October 2026 Drivers in Northern Ireland will be able to compare petrol and diesel prices on Google Maps from today, with the government estimating that shopping around could save households with a car around £40 a year. Near real-time pump prices are being added to the app across the UK on Thursday 8 October, making it easier to check nearby forecourts before filling up. The feature uses Fuel Finder data, which the government says now covers around 99% of all fue

HMS Queen Elizabeth sailing into Belfast on Wednesday morning. (Photo: Michael Luke) Wednesday 07 October 2026 The arrival of HMS Queen Elizabeth in Belfast has prompted TUV leader Jim Allister to call for a significantly stronger permanent Royal Navy presence in Northern Ireland, arguing its strategic importance has grown amid heightened security concerns in the North Atlantic. The 65,000-tonne aircraft carrier sailed into Belfast on Wednesday morning, marking the first visi

Minister for Northern Ireland Sarah Owen is pictured with representatives of Connect Fund partner organisations Bbeyond and Belfast School of Art during a visit to Bbeyond's Belfast headquarters. L-R: Artist Programme Manager at Bbeyond Bronagh Lawson; Lecturer at Belfast School of Art Dr Sandra Johnston, Minister for Northern Ireland Sarah Owen and Artist Administrator at Bbeyond Zara Lyness. Friday 02 October 2026 Community and voluntary groups in Northern Ireland and Great

Thursday 01 October 2026 Parents and carers are being urged to stop using baby sleeping bags with hoods or without armholes for unsupervised sleep because they could cause overheating or suffocation. The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) has issued a safety alert covering products marketed or intended for babies to sleep in while in a cot or crib. It warns that the risks can lead to serious injury or death. The alert follows nearly 50 recalls or product safety re

Stormont Parliament Buildings and (inset) Ulster Unionist Party leader Jon Burrows Tuesday 29 September 2026 Ulster Unionist Party leader Jon Burrows has called on Northern Ireland Secretary Sir Chris Bryant to extend Thursday’s deadline for the Executive to agree a three-year budget, arguing that recent political tensions have made agreement within the current timeframe unlikely. Mr Burrows confirmed on Monday that he had written directly to the Secretary of State seeking wh

Carla Lockhart MP Sunday 27 September 2026 Prime Minister Andy Burnham is facing renewed pressure to revisit controversial inheritance tax changes affecting family farms, with DUP Agriculture spokesperson Carla Lockhart welcoming reports that the policy could be reconsidered ahead of the autumn Budget. The Upper Bann MP said any move by the new Prime Minister to change the reforms introduced under his predecessor Sir Keir Starmer would be welcomed by farming families, includi

Saturday 26 September 2026 The Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) is urging the Chancellor to pause plans to apply a new carbon charge to imported fertiliser, warning that higher costs could ultimately fall on farmers and make domestic food production more expensive. The UK Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) is due to take effect from 1 January 2027 and will put a carbon price on certain imported goods, including fertiliser. The UFU wants the measure suspended for fertiliser

Thursday 24 September 2026 Northern Ireland’s public services could receive more than £1.5 billion in additional UK Government funding under a new package aimed at breaking the long-running Stormont budget deadlock. The offer includes £1.25 billion in extra funding for the Northern Ireland Executive over three years, alongside £150 million specifically for transforming public services and £100 million for social housing. A further £75 million would be provided to address frau

Hundreds of heating oil customers are set to receive compensation after suppliers cancelled orders as prices surged following the outbreak of conflict in the Middle East. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) intervened amid concerns that some cancellations may have breached customers’ contracts, leaving households facing substantially higher costs to secure replacement fuel — or, in some cases, going without heating oil altogether. Around 800 affected customers have al