Murphy upbeat after talks with Treasury chief
STORMONT’S finance minister has said he received a “warm” reception when he met a senior Treasury minister to discuss extra funding for Northern Ireland.
Conor Murphy held talks with Chief Secretary to the Treasury Rishi Sunak in London yesterday.
He is bidding for further money to support commitments in a deal restoring powersharing which is backed by the UK Government.
The senior Sinn Fein member has criticised as “woefully inadequate” a pledge of £1bn on top of the £1bn which Northern Ireland would expect under the Barnett Formula.
Mr Murphy said: “We got a very warm reception, we got a very clear undertaking from him that he wants to continue dialogue with us, that he understands the difficulties that we face, and that when we have that work done in terms of costing all of the proposals within that document that we will continue to engage with him.”
He said he would be informing his ministerial colleagues in Belfast next week and would continue dialogue with the Treasury.
The deal restoring the devolved institutions — entitled New Decade, New Approach — included a series of promises like restoring pay parity with England for disgruntled nurses.
The document outlines plans for more public service investment, “turbocharging” infrastructure delivery and addressing NI’s “unique circumstances”.
Mr Murphy said he would soon be returning to the Treasury to deliver his “financial ask”.