NEWS

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

Chancellor John Healey delivers a growth speech at the Manufacturing Technology Centre in Coventry. (Pictures by Kirsty O'Connor / Treasury) Northern Ireland businesses could benefit from a major shift in how the UK Government directs investment, awards public contracts and assesses infrastructure projects, as Chancellor John Healey pledged to pursue economic growth “in every postcode”. In a wide-ranging speech on Monday (August 7), Mr Healey said investment in Northern Irela

Four of the UK’s farming unions are demanding an urgent halt to Brazilian meat imports into Great Britain, warning that the country could become a destination for products displaced from European markets when new antimicrobial rules take effect next week. The Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU), NFU, NFU Scotland and NFU Cymru have jointly called on the UK Government to prohibit affected Brazilian products of animal origin from 3 September, bringing Great Britain into line with new E

The First Minister Michelle O’Neill and deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly are pictured with Prime Minister Andy Burnham. Northern Ireland’s First and deputy First Ministers have pressed new Prime Minister Andy Burnham for urgent action on Stormont’s finances, warning that the current funding settlement is leaving the Executive struggling to properly plan, invest in and reform public services. Michelle O’Neill and Emma Little-Pengelly raised the issue directly with M

Ballymena Town Hall, and (inset) North Antrim MP Jim Allister Ballymena’s 400th anniversary has been marked at Westminster, with North Antrim MP Jim Allister tabling a House of Commons motion celebrating four centuries of the town and the generations of people who have helped shape it. The parliamentary recognition comes on a landmark day for Ballymena — exactly 400 years since King Charles I granted the charter on 25 August 1626 which established the foundations of the marke

Households across Northern Ireland are expected to receive more than £50 off their electricity bills this autumn, under plans to combine two cost-of-living measures into a single discount. Economy Minister Dr Caoimhe Archibald has confirmed her department is working to finalise an agreement with the Treasury that would increase the support from the approximately £30 previously announced under the NIRO Domestic Electricity Discount Scheme. However, the original discount had be

Victims and survivors of terrorism in Northern Ireland are being remembered today as the UK marks its first dedicated National Day recognising people whose lives have been changed forever by terrorist attacks. The new annual commemoration takes on particular significance in Northern Ireland, where generations of victims, survivors and bereaved families continue to live with the consequences of the Troubles and subsequent paramilitary terrorism. Secretary of State for Northern

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham at 10 Downing Street. (Picture by Alecsandra Dragoi / No 10 Downing Street) Northern Ireland’s entire Executive has united to demand an urgent meeting with new Prime Minister Andy Burnham, warning that mounting financial pressures are threatening the ability of departments to plan and deliver public services. In a joint intervention signed by all Executive Ministers, Stormont leaders argue Northern Ireland is not being funded on a comparable bas

Aldi has hundreds of supermarkets across Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland, yet Northern Ireland remains a conspicuous gap in its network — and a new competition ruling involving both Aldi and Lidl has put the reasons for that absence back under the spotlight. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has provisionally decided that Aldi, Lidl Great Britain and Lidl Northern Ireland should be brought under rules designed to prevent major supermarket chains using land

Immigration officers have carried out more than 100 visits targeting suspected illegal working across Northern Ireland in the first half of 2026, resulting in 123 arrests as enforcement activity reaches record levels. New Home Office figures show released today, Friday, August 6, Northern Ireland Immigration Compliance and Enforcement (ICE) teams carried out 103 visits across Northern Ireland during the first six months of the year — a 43% increase — while arrests rose by 16%