Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
MAY DAY CALL FOR N.I.
PM urged to meet parties in Belfast
THERESA May has been urged to visit Belfast in a bid to break the deadlock preventing powersharing at Stormont.
The Prime Minister is under cross-party pressure from the Lords to talk directly with the parties involved.
Former Secretary of State Lord Murphy said every previous agreement was reached with the direct involvement of the PM and Taoiseach.
Speaking at
Question Time, the Labour peer said he feared “we will make little progress” until Mrs May goes to Belfast to speak to the parties and Irish government.
Tory Lord Cormack felt there was “no substitute for a visit”.
Government spokesman Viscount Younger of Leckie assured peers the PM was taking “a very close interest” and had “close involvement” in the talks.
He added: “Should she see fit she will indeed travel to Northern Ireland.”
Lord Younger said Mrs May would go “when she thinks it is right to do so” and when it would “make a material difference”.
He added ministers were determined intensive negotiations should resume as soon as possible and stood ready to continue working with the parties.
Tory Lord Lexden asked whether, after “10 weeks of aborted talking”, there was any prospect of a breakthrough and what contingency plans the Government had.
Lord Younger said “gaps” remained between the parties, but added: “We remain convinced they can be bridged.
“The deadline has now passed and the Secretary of State is under a duty to set a date for a new election.
“He will continue to keep that duty under review.”
Former Labour minister Baroness Armstrong said if the Government was so busy with other issues such as Brexit it could appoint an independent person to do the “heavy-duty work”.
Labour spokesman Lord Mcavoy also called for Mrs May to intervene.