13 January 2026
SDLP Leader Claire Hanna MP has written to Executive party leaders asking them to attend a meeting with Prime Minister Keir Starmer to discuss proposals around Assembly reform.
It comes after Ms Hanna raised the issue with the PM in the House of Commons last week.
In a marked shift, the PM indicated he was willing to engage on the issue and discuss proposals around reform.
South Belfast and Mid Down MP Claire Hanna said:
“Support for reforming the Stormont institutions is gathering momentum. Since the return of devolution, the SDLP Opposition has been working hard in Dublin and London to progress reform and we are starting to see progress at long last. The Prime Minister’s commitment to look seriously at reform is a clear change in approach and an opportunity we can’t afford to squander.
“I have written to every Executive party leader asking them to take the PM at his word and attend a meeting to discuss proposals around reform. People are rapidly losing faith in politics here. We have an Executive that has failed to deliver on their promises and dysfunction at Stormont is keeping us trapped in a cycle of failure.
“We have heard the Executive parties pay lip service to progressing reform, but with their combined power they have done next to nothing to advance it. We may have different views on the form reform should take, but I believe we can find common ground and this is an opportunity for them to back up their words with action.
“The SDLP will be requesting a meeting with the PM and I am urging all parties to attend and engage seriously in reforming Stormont so that it can deliver for everyone in Northern Ireland.”