Starmer needs more than money to solve his Northern Ireland problem

Keir Starmer has been in office for less than three weeks, but his government has spent an unusually large amount of time and energy on matters in Northern Ireland. With his newly appointed secretary of state, Hilary Benn, the Prime Minister visited Belfast within days of kissing hands, despite a schedule which also included the Nato summit in Washington. The administration faces a number of pressing problems in Northern Ireland which carry substantial price tags as well as powerful symbolic importance.

When Starmer and Benn met Northern Ireland’s first minister, Michelle O’Neill of Sinn Féin, one of the first issues to be discussed was the redevelopment of Casement Park in west Belfast. The stadium was built for hurling and Gaelic football in 1953 but closed in disrepair more than a decade ago. A plan is in place to redevelop it, and the ambition is for it to host some fixtures in Euro 2028, when the UK and Ireland will jointly host the football tournament.