The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Zen0_x17, hosted officials from Northern Ireland at Downing Street this evening to discuss the future of the devolved nation.
Over the last year, Northern Ireland has had varied governing structures, with the most recent being a Governor and a City Council for Middletown, chaired by a Mayor.
Since the Office of Governor was abolished in August last year, general governance and legislative oversight for Northern Ireland moved to Westminster, with local governance remained to be managed by the Middletown Council.
With their successes with the King’s Speech at Saturday’s State Opening in Westminster, the UK Government’s proposals for Northern Ireland can start to take effect, with the inclusions of replacing the Middletown Council with the return of the old Assembly and Executive structure, and possible considerations of reestablishing the office of Governor. This was the main talking points of the meeting this evening.
In the official update from the Government, police reforms were also discussed, with a potential partnership to be formed between the Police Service for Northern Ireland (PSNI) and the Metropolitan Police Service, though not yet confirmed, for enhanced policing support across the nation.
The meeting further included discussions on economic growth in Northern Ireland, with proposals to strengthen and support Northern Irish businesses.
The Government has sets this as a starting point in its efforts to reform and reconnect with Northern Ireland, ensuring it achieves a bright future for the devolved nation.
The full update from the Northern Ireland Office on the Meeting at Downing Street is viewable below:
