What you need to know
Party leaders react to local election results in GB
On Saturday (10 May), The News Letter interviewed Stormont’s party leaders as they reacted to results of recent local elections in Scotland, England and Wales. Sinn Féin claimed that the results, which will return a nationalist first minister in both Scotland and Wales, demonstrated a “desire for independence [that] cannot be ignored”, with First Minister Michelle O’Neill saying that she looked forward to “continu[ing] the momentum towards constitutional change”. Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly, rejected the idea that Northern Ireland was being led by a “pro-independence” First Minister, pointing out that it is “a joint role with a Unionist”. She added that Unionism was the biggest grouping in the Northern Ireland Assembly and said that “a clear majority of ballots cast in the UK nations were for pro-Union parties”. Ulster Unionist Party leader Jon Burrows described the Union as “ever evolving” and claimed that “unionism remains strong in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland alike”.
What next: In Scotland, the SNP won 58 MSPs, seven short of a majority. Reform UK were tied with Labour for second place, with 17 MSPs each. The Scottish Greens returned 15 MSPs, a record high. In Wales, First Minister of Wales Baroness Eluned Morgan (Labour) lost her seat as Plaid Cymru returned 43 seats, followed by Reform UK 34, with Labour falling to just 9 MS’s out of 96 in the expanded Senedd.
NI unionist MPs react to King’s speech
On Wednesday (13 May), the King’s speech outlined plans for the Government to strengthen Northern Ireland’s place in the UK Internal Market through legislation to implement new agreements with the EU that will “cut paperwork, reduce costs for businesses, and significantly ease the movement of food and drink goods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, as well as with the EU”. The speech also committed to introduce the Energy Independence Bill, which will give the government “more power to tackle the affordability crisis, speed up the delivery of clean energy technologies and ensure greater resilience in the face of global shocks”. Additionally, the Government reaffirmed its pledge to deliver the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill. DUP Leader Gavin Robinson MP said the speech “sets out a Labour programme that, after everything working people have endured, still refuses to change course”, and warned that a weakening position of the Prime Minister was leaving the government “divided [and] directionless”. UUP MP Robin Swann welcomed the Government’s focus on “defence spending, infrastructure investment, and strengthening our trading relationships”, but warned that the real challenge was delivery against a backdrop of “serious questions about the Prime Minister’s future”. TUV Leader Jim Allister MP argued that there “wasn’t much new” in the King’s speech, and that it “did nothing to restore confidence in this failed Government”.
What next: Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn MP said the Government’s focus is on “economic growth and prosperity”. On the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill, he said: “This final chance to get legacy right has fallen to us, in this Parliament, and we will deliver it.”
Polling finds 70% of people in NI see Brexit as more of a failure than a success
On Thursday (14 May), polling by LucidTalk revealed that more than 70% of people, including a majority of Leave voters, agree that Brexit has been more of a failure than a success in NI. The results also indicated that two-thirds of people in the region believe Brexit has made the break-up of the UK more likely, and that close to half of voters (48%) do not agree that the 2016 Brexit referendum was based on a “fair democratic process”. Regarding the impact of Brexit on trade; confidence in the NI Protocol/Windsor Framework as a tool for managing Brexit’s effects has declined, with only 46% now viewing it as an appropriate means of addressing Brexit in NI, down from 61% in summer 2024. However, perceptions of the Windsor Framework’s economic impact remain more positive than negative, with 45% believing it has had a positive effect on the economy, with a further 57% claiming the agreement has brought unique economic opportunities.
What next: A majority of respondents distrusted either a Conservative-led (76%) or Reform-led UK government (70%) to protect Northern Ireland’s interests in EU-UK relations. In an NI context, the SDLP was the most trusted party among respondents on the Windsor Framework (38%), with the TUV both the most trusted unionist party (30%) on the issue, and the most strongly distrusted (50%).
Stakeholder Watch
Department for Infrastructure: “Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins has welcomed at Belfast’s Grand Central Station an investment of £548m in new trains operating between Belfast and Dublin. Due for delivery late in 2028, the new Intercity trains – based on Stadler’s proven FLIRT platform – have been purpose designed for the Enterprise route and will deliver a major step change in comfort and customer experience. The project is jointly funded by the NI Executive, Department for Infrastructure, the Government of Ireland, Department of Transport, and supported with €165m through PEACEPLUS, a programme managed by the Special EU Programmes Body.” Read the full tweet here.
Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly MLA (DUP, Lagan Valley): “The sun was shining for the big North West 200 Saturday. Always an incredible event, and always an honour to get to come and support. It not only showcases the sport, but also our incredible north coast. It is a real boost to our Northern Ireland PLC brand, but also our economy.”
David Honeyford MLA (Alliance, Lagan Valley): “Good to see cross-party support today for closing the chapter on the RHI legislation and finally drawing a line under a long and damaging saga that badly undermined confidence in politics and government here. Throughout the process, I argued for fairness for those who participated in good faith, while also protecting the taxpayer. I welcome the additional safeguard measures included following concerns I raised through Committee scrutiny. We must learn the lessons from the failures of the past, but we cannot let the shadow of the past hold back the future. Time to move forward, rebuild confidence and deliver the transition to renewables properly”.
Dr Steve Aiken MLA (UUP, South Antrim): Busy Day at Royal Ulster Agricultural Society so far – great to see so many constituents & to get around many of the exhibits. @NIAFinance also held Committee meeting & brilliant to see so many colleagues past, present & hopefully future enjoying the spectacle!!
SDLP Opposition Leader Matthew O’Toole (SDLP, South Belfast): “You would expect devolved ministers to respond to chaos in London by taking responsibility. Quite the opposite. They won’t even set a Budget. John O’Dowd told me yesterday he was writing to ask the UK Govt for another meeting… Who does he expect to meet, exactly?”
TUV Leader Jim Allister MP (TUV, North Antrim): “Read my article with @NigelDoddsDUPpublished today by Parliament News on the formation of the Anti-Windsor Framework Parliamentary Group: ‘As we approach the ten year anniversary of the Brexit vote, parliamentarians from across the whole United Kingdom who respect this the biggest democratic vote in our history are coming together to form the Anti-Windsor Framework Parliamentary Group. We exist to fight for the whole United Kingdom to leave the EU so that: i) no part of the country is subject to laws we don’t make and can’t change and ii) this cannot then be used to justify the application of EU law in relation to the rest of the country.”
US Consulate Belfast: Honoured to join @niexecutive Junior Ministers @aislingreillysf & @Joanne_Bunting at the phenomenal @BlackMountainss to celebrate the 40th birthday of the @FundforIreland. Fitting tribute to the unsung heroes of NI’s political, social & economic progress! #IFI40
Other Stories
RHI scheme is formally closed by the Assembly
On Tuesday (12 May), the Assembly passed the final stage of legislation to formally close the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) scheme almost a decade after the scandal triggered the collapse of devolution in 2017. According to BBC News, Economy Minister Caoimhe Archibald said the Bill would provide the legal basis for winding down the scheme “in a way that is fair to participants and taxpayers” following agreement between Stormont parties, scheme participants and the Treasury. The energy scheme, first introduced in 2012, paid businesses to switch to wood-pellet boilers but subsidy payments exceeded fuel costs, encouraging excessive use. During the Assembly debate, SDLP MLA Sinéad McLaughlin described RHI as “one of the darkest episodes in the history of devolution”, while DUP MLA Phillip Brett said the legislation acknowledged the scheme had “caused enormous damage”. All parties approved the legislation.
Finance Minister urges UK Government to properly fund public services
On Tuesday (12 May), Finance Minister John O’Dowd called on the UK Government to “face up to its responsibilities” and properly fund Northern Ireland’s public services amid ongoing political uncertainty in London. The Sinn Féin minister said health, education, infrastructure, justice and community services are facing “significant pressure” after years of operating within budgets that “do not meet need”. He added that the NI Executive needs “sustainable, long-term funding” and greater fiscal flexibility to support public services and grow the economy, noting that pressure on budgets was being felt directly by “workers, families and businesses”.
Private Capital Investment in NI businesses quadruples to £384m in 2025
On Tuesday (12 May), The Irish Times reported on the conclusions of a report by trade body UK Private Capital which found that investment by private equity and venture capital firms into NI businesses reached £384m in 2025, more than four times the previous year’s figure (£94m), bringing the total amount invested in local start-ups over the past five years to £943m. The report also showed that venture capital firms currently back 186 businesses in NI, supporting more than 47,000 jobs. The data revealed that NI currently features 69 active spin-outs, primarily originating in QUB and Ulster universities, which hold a particular focus in technology, engineering and data led innovation.
Fishing industry facing “perfect storm” which could see serious decline in less than three years
On Thursday (14 May), the Belfast Telegraph reported claims by fishing fleets in Northern Ireland that rising fuel costs and fishing restrictions within the Irish Sea, combined with a looming deadline for foreign workers’ visas, could result in the demise of the industry within the next few years. Simon Wills, owner of a fleet of six trawlers, has claimed that “there is no light at the end of the tunnel” and predicts that if decommissioning were offered, the majority of the Northern Irish fishing fleet would take it. He claimed that “Minister [Andrew] Muir hasn’t met us once”, and that “we’re not getting any government help and we desperately need it.”
SONI announces operational change in boost of renewable electricity use
On Monday (11 May), SONI confirmed a key operational change allowing the energy grid to run more efficiently with higher levels of wind and solar power, reducing reliance on fossil fuels while improving energy security and helping to ease pressure on consumer costs. Historically, NI required at least three large conventional natural gas-fired power stations to be running at all times to keep the electricity system stable, an approach which has increasingly constrained the ability for renewable electricity to be utilised by the grid. However, SONI has now demonstrated that the electricity system can operate securely with two large conventional generators online under defined conditions, enabling more renewable electricity to be supplied by the grid to homes. Commenting on the news, SONI Chief Executive Alan Campbell described the change as a “significant step forward”.
Visit Belfast launches 2026-27 Business Plan
On Friday (8 May), Business Eye reported that over 200 industry partners, stakeholders and city leaders had gathered at The MAC, as Visit Belfast unveiled its 2026-27 business plan. The event marked the third year of its New Horizons 2024-27 tourism strategy and laid out its plans for a landmark year anchored by the city hosting Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann for the first time, which is set to be the largest cultural event in the city’s history. Visit Belfast has estimated that the city will host between 700,000-800,000 visitors from 2 to 9 August, with the event serving as a “powerful platform to position Belfast as the island’s cultural capital, supported by the city’s designations as a UNESCO City of Music and European City of Sport”. 2026 also marks 30 years of cruise tourism in Belfast, a milestone being celebrated in partnership with Belfast Harbour alongside plans for its transformative £90 million D3 cruise facility. Across Years One and Two, the organisation has delivered £323 million in cumulative economic impact with the projected three-year total now forecast at £473 million, representing 112% of the original target.
New national parliamentary alliance on the impact of the Windsor Framework announced
On Monday (11 May), a new Westminster parliamentary group was formed to examine the impact of the Windsor Framework across the UK, according to the News Letter. It is founded on “rigorous opposition” to the post-Brexit deal and regret over “the current loss of leverage”. The alliance will be chaired by DUP peer Lord Dodds and will also include TUV Leader Jim Allister, pro-Brexit Conservative figures and Reform UK representatives. DUP Leader Gavin Robinson said discussions about the group had been ongoing for months and insisted unionists continue to raise concerns over the Irish Sea border “day and daily with the government”. The group has been backed by DUP MPs Sammy Wilson and Carla Lockhart, as well as party chair Lord Morrow.
Woodland Trust names Omagh as “tree desert” without any critical urban tree cover
On Thursday (14 May), The Irish News reported findings by The Woodland Trust, which named Omagh as one of the worst “tree deserts” in the UK, with its entire population living without enough trees to protect from air pollution, stress and ill health. The charity identified the 20 worst-performing towns and cities for tree equity in the UK, with Omagh named as one of only two without any critical urban tree cover. The charity added that trees in urban areas can provide shade and cooling in increasingly hot summers and reduce worsening flooding as the climate changes, cut air pollution, and alleviate stress and depression.
Speculation that former UUP Leader to be deselected by party
Former Ulster Unionist Party Leader Doug Beattie is expected to be deselected when his Upper Bann constituency association meets in June to choose its candidate for the next Northern Ireland Assembly election. If deselected, Mr Beattie intends to stand for election in May 2027 as an independent or as a member of another party. According to BBC News, Mr Beattie is being “forced out” of the party because he is viewed as too moderate. His replacement in Upper Bann is expected to be Kyle Savage, a councillor in Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council. It is reported that MLA for North Down Alan Chambers has also been told not to put his name forward when his constituency association meets to select a candidate.
Across the Border
Sinn Féin lead Social Democrats in Dublin Central by-election poll
On Thursday (15 May), the Irish Times/TG4 published an opinion poll for the Dublin Central by-election. Sinn Féin’s Janice Boylan is in first place on 21%, followed by the Social Democrats’ Daniel Ennis on 18%. Alleged crime boss Gerry ‘The Monk’ Hutch is in third on 14%, followed by Fine Gael Lord Mayor of Dublin Ray McAdam on 13%. Fianna Fáil’s candidate John Stephens registered just 4% in the poll. Of the two front-runners, Ennis appears to be more transfer-friendly, with 15% of voters saying they will give him their second preference, compared to just 10% for Boylan. The election will take next Friday, 22 May.
Taoiseach says Fianna Fáil ‘don’t approve’ of immigration remarks made by Bertie Ahern in video
Micheál Martin has said his party “don’t approve” of former taoiseach Bertie Ahern’s comments on immigration, after a video of Mr Ahern speaking with a constituent in Dublin Central was posted on X. In the video, Mr Ahern distinguished between Ukrainian and other migrants, saying “ones I worry about are the Africans”, adding “we can’t be taking in people from the Congo and all these places. I think there’s too many from those places.” He also said he was worried about “second-generation Muslims” born to people who came into the country. The issue was raised in the Dáil when People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy accused Ahern of “disgusting racism”. According to the Irish Times, Micheál Martin distanced himself from Ahern’s remarks, saying: “I don’t approve of any commentary that would in any way undermine any particular ethnicity or any person with a particular ethnic background.” Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald, also canvassing in the area, said “Fianna Fáil want to be speaking out of all sides of their mouth”, and that there needed to be “thoughtful management of issues around every aspect of migration”.
Upcoming Budget will have €7bn spending package and income tax cuts, says Harris
On Wednesday (13 May), Finance Minister and Fine Gael leader Simon Harris told his parliamentary party that October’s Budget will total around €7bn, down from €9.4bn last year. According to the Journal, Harris said the Budget will aim to protect the economy but also to make decisions to “help hardworking people”. He said an income tax package should be targeted at workers, and pointed at the raised entry point of the higher rate of income tax over the past decade. The split between tax and spending is to be decided in the summer economic statement, which is to be released in the coming months.
What We’re Reading
Fionola Meredith: Belfast rat surge is clearest sign of city failing communities
In Friday’s Belfast Telegraph, Finola Meredith writes about reports of “massive” rats in parts of Belfast, which she says are signs of “serious civic failure”. Rats “thrive on rubbish, dereliction, neglected alleyways, fly-tipping, food waste, broken infrastructure and empty houses”, she says, making them “an unspoken verdict” on an area. She writes that there is “a particular kind of despair that comes from environmental neglect” and the feeling that no one is listening. Meredith says that Belfast is “very good at producing glossy images of the city”; but rats are “not impressed by civic branding” and “expose what has been allowed to rot”. She stresses that it is a mistake to view the problem as “just a pest control issue”, and instead highlights that people are “expected to live beside filth and then be grateful when someone eventually turns up with traps or poison”. “Residents’ groups and local campaigners should not have to fight constantly for basic environmental standards in their own neighbourhoods,” she says. She writes that the answer is “not complicated, though it may be expensive and inconvenient”. It means proper maintenance and environmental health, dealing with dereliction, and treating “working-class communities as places where people actually live, not as storage space for problems that no one else wants to see”. She concludes that rats are not the scandal, but rather that “we have allowed them to feel so at home”.
Forward Look
Wednesday 20 May 2026
NI Environment Forum (agendaNI), Europa Hotel – Read more here.
Thursday 4 June 2026
Shared Island Social Enterprise Conference 2026, Monaghan Peace Campus- Read more here.
Monday 8 June
Sustainable Energy Communities NI (SEC NI) Conference, Stormont- Read more here.
Wednesday 10 June 2026
NICVA Summit 2026- Read more here.
Saturday 12 June 2026
NI Chamber Energy Forum, ECOS Ballymena- Read more here.
Friday 11 – Saturday 12 September 2026
SDLP Conference, Crowne Plaza Belfast
Friday 18 – Saturday 19 September 2026
DUP annual conference, La Mon Hotel, Belfast
Friday 25 – Saturday 26 September 2026
UUP annual conference, Crowne Plaza Belfast
Thursday 8 October 2026
NILGA Conference, Island Arts Centre Lisburn
Wednesday 18 November 2026
North West Future of Energy Conference & Exhibition 2026, White Horse Hotel- Read more here.
Thursday 19 November – Friday 20 November 2026
NIFHA Annual Conference 2026, Slieve Donard Hotel- Read more here.
Thursday 10 December 2026
NIFHA Housing Finance Conference, DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Templepatrick- Read more here.
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