18 September 2026

SDLP Leader Claire Hanna MP has urged the Prime Minister and the Taoiseach to bring renewed focus to the British Irish relationship, discuss how we prepare for constitutional change and to act now to stop the decay and dysfunction that characterises our politics in Northern Ireland.

Claire Hanna MP said:

"The relationship between the British and Irish Governments is fundamental to making politics here work and today's meeting should focus on the issues that need serious attention from both governments.

"Conversations about a new Ireland are developing. Those of us who believe in constitutional change have a responsibility to prepare for it properly, to do the work and to make sure people across this island have the information and confidence to engage with what comes next. Both governments have a role in that preparation.

"I welcome that Institutional reform has been firmly on the agenda, following intensive lobbying and campaigning by the SDLP. Stormont cannot keep operating with the same structural weaknesses and expect different results. It is essential that both short and long term action is taken to protect devolution and to improve delivery. 

"The current Budget impasse underlines the wider problem. Months into this financial year, the Executive still cannot agree how to fund public services, leaving departments and the people who rely on them without the certainty they need. The SDLP has been consistent in making the case for increased funding in line with the Fiscal Council’s findings, but this does not absolve the Executive, who sought a mandate to govern, from doing just that.

"Both governments can use this meeting to bring renewed focus and direction to these challenges. The SDLP will continue making the case for institutions that work, properly funded and planned public services, and serious, inclusive preparation for a New Ireland."