16 March 2026
SDLP Leader Claire Hanna MP has said a lack of political leadership is failing people dealing with high energy costs.
She was speaking after Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced £53m in support for vulnerable households who rely on home heating oil.
Households in Northern Ireland are set to receive around £17m of the funding.
South Belfast and Mid Down MP Claire Hanna said:
“The Executive’s approach to this issue has done little to help struggling families. Their default response was to blame London and have a row with each other, instead of working through what a support scheme should look like. Both short and long-term opportunities to manage this crisis and address our over-reliance on home heating oil have been dodged.
"The support announced by the Prime Minister today won’t do enough but instead of coming up with proposals to intervene, we will now see Executive parties lining up to criticise the UK Government alone. The Finance Minister has been non-committal, vague about what funds exists, and Sinn Féin and the DUP have been more interested in tearing lumps out of each other. Little or no progress has been made on improving long term energy security and resilience.
“Yes, the UK Government should provide more support, but the Executive also needs to show some leadership. A blanket approach will not work when it comes to supporting households through the months ahead and any support must be targeted at those who need it most.
“Yet again the Executive has failed to act at a crucial moment for people here.”