THE STORMONT Executive has unanimously called for a meeting with David Cameron “to press for the delivery of financial commitments” following Wednesday’s spending cuts.
The appeal to the British prime minister illustrates growing distrust between the heads of the Executive and Northern Secretary Owen Paterson.
Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness are increasingly worried at the implications of the cuts, estimated by Finance Minister Sammy Wilson at £4 billion over the next four years. Their concerns were heightened yesterday by a series of business failures across Northern Ireland that could affect hundreds of jobs. There is also particular concern at a lack of clarity about financial commitments totalling some £18 billion agreed with the previous Labour government.
Mr Paterson has insisted the cuts are fair and represent a good deal for the Stormont Executive, given the scale of the UK budget deficit.
However, the First Minister and Deputy First Minister yesterday stepped up their criticisms, accusing him of acting as a voice for the treasury rather than battling for Northern Ireland around the cabinet table in Downing Street.
Mr McGuinness said Mr Paterson was both a “shame” and a “disgrace”. “Owen Paterson has been effectively on the side of the chancellor [George Osborne] and has been far from a champion for the North and all that does is damage our working relationship that we wanted to have with the Secretary of State,” he said. “We have not been fairly treated by the new Tory-led government or by Owen Paterson.”
Mr Robinson added: “Owen should be speaking for Northern Ireland rather than the treasury on these matters.”
He said: “We had a deal, that deal was guaranteed, it was guaranteed by the last administration and at no stage did the Conservatives indicate that they would not stand over that agreement.”
In a comment underlining the new levels of distrust between Stormont and the Northern Secretary, he concluded: “If we cannot bank that kind of decision, what kind of trust can we have in anything else guaranteed by the St Andrews Agreement?”
Stormont Ministers, meeting yesterday for the first time since the cuts announcement, said their plans to overhaul Northern Ireland’s creaking infrastructure were in jeopardy.