29 June 2026

SDLP MLA Sinéad McLaughlin has called on the Finance Minister to reverse the Northern Ireland Civil Service's decision to withdraw from this year's Belfast Pride.

She said it sends entirely the wrong message to LGBT people across Northern Ireland.

Speaking in the Assembly, the Foyle MLA said the legal justification for the decision did not withstand scrutiny and argued that responsibility ultimately rests with the Minister.

Sinéad McLaughlin MLA said:

"For many years the Northern Ireland Civil Service participated in Belfast Pride because it recognised that it is an inclusive employer committed to equality. The legal case being relied upon is an English High Court judgment that is not binding in Northern Ireland. Our legal framework is different and nothing has fundamentally changed here to justify abandoning that long-standing commitment.

"The Civil Service does not set government policy. Ministers do. The Finance Minister has responsibility for the Northern Ireland Civil Service, and I am calling on him to reverse this decision. Leadership means standing by your values, even when doing so is politically difficult.

"Government should serve every citizen equally. LGBT people are part of every community across Northern Ireland and deserve to know that their Civil Service stands alongside them, not that it steps back when inclusion becomes politically inconvenient. Pride is about dignity, visibility and equality. Those are values our public institutions should proudly support."