NEWS

Dairy Council for Northern Ireland Chair Ivor Broomfield (left) and CEO Ian Stevenson launch the Dairy Council’s new manifesto “A Pathway to Success” outside Stormont. Tuesday 06 October 2026 Northern Ireland’s dairy industry is calling on the incoming Executive to provide greater support for a sector generating close to £2 billion in annual sales and sustaining thousands of farming and processing jobs. Four priorities for Northern Ireland dairy The Dairy Council for Northern

Ulster Unionist Larty Leader & North Antrim MLA Jon Burrows, with Ahoghill racer Reuben Kernohan Tuesday 06 October 2026 Ahoghill teenager Reuben Kernohan has been praised on the floor of the Northern Ireland Assembly after a remarkable run of motorsport success which will see the 18-year-old represent Ireland on the world stage in Portugal next month. Ulster Unionist Party North Antrim MLA Jon Burrows described the young driver as “one of the most talented and dedicated youn

Tuesday 29 September 2026 Ulster Unionist Party leader Jon Burrows has called on Sinn Féin to replace Deirdre Hargey on the Northern Ireland Policing Board while the investigation into events on the Garvaghy Road, and any resulting proceedings, remain ongoing. He has written to the Board’s chair seeking an urgent decision before Thursday’s meeting, arguing that a member involved in events under investigation should not scrutinise the officers responsible for policing them. Th

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

Stormont Parliament Buildings and (inset) TUV Party Leader & North Antrim MP Jim Allister, and the party’s North Antrim MLA Timothy Gaston Monday 28 September 2026 The TUV has called for the DUP to bring down Northern Ireland’s power-sharing institutions unless the Orange Order parade along the Garvaghy Road is allowed to proceed, as the political fallout from Sunday’s blockade moved directly into the Assembly chamber. TUV leader Jim Allister MP and North Antrim MLA Timothy G

Speaking at Saturday’s UUP conference, Elizabeth Clarke MBE Sunday 27 September 2026 Working families should not be left to absorb the cost when childcare, housing, education, transport and other public services fail to deliver, Ulster Unionist candidate Elizabeth Clarke MBE has told her party’s annual conference. Clarke, who is standing as a second UUP candidate in South Antrim alongside MLA Steve Aiken, used her speech at Saturday’s conference to argue that pressures often

Ulster Unionist Party leader and North Antrim MLA Jon Burrows speaking on Saturday at the party’s annual conference Saturday 26 September 2026 Ulster Unionist Party leader and North Antrim MLA Jon Burrows has declared his party “ready to lead” as he used his first annual conference speech as leader to set out a broader plan for rebuilding unionism — and a policy programme centred on children, families, housing, infrastructure and reform of government. Addressing delegates on

Health Minister Robbie Butler Speaking at today’s Ulster Unionist Party conference Saturday 26 September 2026 Health Minister Robbie Butler has signalled that an expansion of Northern Ireland’s life-saving thrombectomy service is moving closer, telling the Ulster Unionist Party conference that the case for providing the specialist stroke treatment 24 hours a day, seven days a week “has been made”. Mr Butler, who took over the Department of Health just over five weeks ago, als

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

South Antrim SDLP candidate Linzi McLaren (right), pictured with SDLP leader Claire Hanna MP (centre), and Cara Hunter MLA Wednesday 23 September 2026 Former Ulster Unionist councillor and former police officer Linzi McLaren has been selected by the SDLP to contest South Antrim in next year’s Northern Ireland Assembly election, marking a significant change of political direction less than a year after she left the UUP. McLaren, who is from Antrim and grew up in the constituen

Sinn Féin vice-president Michelle O'Neill MLA and Declan Kearney MLA Tuesday 22 September 2026 Sinn Féin has selected Declan Kearney to contest South Antrim in next year’s Northern Ireland Assembly election, with the sitting MLA seeking to retain the seat he has held since 2016. Kearney’s candidacy was announced at a party selection event at the Dunsilly Hotel in Antrim on Tuesday evening, as Sinn Féin begins preparing for the combined Assembly and council elections on 6 May

(L-R) RCGPNI Chair Dr Ursula Mason, Northern Ireland Health Minister Robbie Butler, and Dr Emma Murtagh (Vice Chair Policy, RCGPNI) Tuesday 22 September 2026 Northern Ireland’s GP service is at a “critical juncture”, with the number of practices falling by almost 13% since 2014 while the registered patient population has risen to 2.07 million, a major new policy paper has warned. The Royal College of General Practitioners Northern Ireland (RCGPNI) says the combination of risi

Northern Ireland Justice Minister Naomi Long, and (inset) North Antrim MLA Paul Frew Tuesday 22 September 2026 North Antrim DUP MLA Paul Frew has challenged Justice Minister Naomi Long over how she came to give the Assembly information that was later found to be incomplete about the temporary release of convicted murderer Gary Anderson, who remains unlawfully at large. Mr Frew, who chairs Stormont’s Justice Committee, questioned whether information supplied to the Minister ha

Economy Minister Dr Caoimhe Archibald is pictured with Chair of Matrix Robert Hill. Monday 21 September 2026 Northern Ireland could make far greater use of satellites to tackle flooding, monitor the environment, support agriculture and manage public infrastructure, with a new government-backed report identifying at least 77 potential applications across public services. The Northern Ireland Space Enabled Region Pathfinder concludes that the region is well placed to become a U

Sitting Sinn Féin North Antrim MLA Philip McGuigan with the party’s deputy Dáil leader and finance spokesperson Pearse Doherty TDPearse Doherty TD. Friday 18 September 2026 Sinn Féin has selected sitting MLA Philip McGuigan to contest the 2027 Northern Ireland Assembly election in North Antrim, as parties begin preparing for voters to go to the polls next May. McGuigan, who currently chairs Stormont’s Health Committee, confirmed his candidacy at a party event in the Marine H

MLAs would receive a £2,016 increase in their basic annual salary after next year’s Assembly election under proposals now open for public consultation. The Independent Remuneration Board has proposed raising basic pay from £67,200 to £69,216 for the start of the 2027–32 Assembly term, followed by annual increases linked to Northern Ireland earnings growth and capped at 3%. Members of the public have until 15 October to give their views before the independent body responsible

Northern Ireland’s trials of the facts procedure is to undergo an independent review following concerns about how the justice system serves victims when an accused person is found unfit to stand trial. Justice Minister Naomi Long and Health Minister Robbie Butler have agreed to commission the joint review, according to a statement from Ulster Unionist Party leader Jon Burrows MLA. The party said a joint letter from the ministers confirmed that an independent external reviewer

Wednesday 16 September 2026 Young men and boys across Northern Ireland are being urged to challenge misogyny in group chats, gaming platforms and social media as new figures show increases in reports of online stalking, harassment, blackmail and intimate image abuse. Between 1 April 2025 and 31 March 2026, police recorded 1,971 reports of online stalking and harassment — a 12% increase on the previous year — alongside 591 reports of online blackmail, up 11%, and 110 reports i

Ulster Unionist Party Leader Jon Burrows is pressing Justice Minister Naomi Long for answers over the release of at large prisoner Gary Anderson (centre) Police are continuing to seek convicted murderer Gary Anderson as political pressure grows for a full explanation of how he came to be temporarily released from prison despite the Prison Service having initially decided he was unsuitable for compassionate temporary release. Ulster Unionist Party leader Jon Burrows MLA has de

SDLP MLA for East Londonderry, Cara Hunter Girls will be guaranteed the choice to wear trousers at every school in Northern Ireland from the 2027/28 school year, as Education Minister Paul Givan faces fresh criticism over why the change was not made sooner. SDLP Opposition Education Spokesperson Cara Hunter MLA has joined Ulster Unionist Party leader and Education spokesperson Jon Burrows MLA in welcoming the outcome while challenging the Minister over the months of political