Naomi Long also said Secretary of State Chris Heaton-Harris’s hands were not clean in creating the current financial problems in the region. At the Alliance local election manifesto launch on Thursday, Ms Long responded to Mr Heaton-Harris’s claim that: “Northern Ireland politicians got the budget into the state it’s in, Northern Ireland politicians need to get us out of it.”In the absence of a devolved government Mr Heaton-Harris was responsible for setting the budget for Northern Ireland. “The idea that all of the challenges we face are simply down to local politicians, and that his hands are clean, is frankly laughable. “What Chris Heaton-Harris needs to do if he really wants to be a Secretary of State for Northern Ireland is work with local politicians to work on the strategy.”Alliance Party leader Naomi Long (Liam McBurney/PA)In her opening remarks Ms Long referred to the budget as a “punishment budget” and said it would “decimate public services” in Northern Ireland. She also said the impact of the cuts will still be felt when the Stormont Assembly is eventually restored.

Source: The Herald May 04, 2023 15:10 UTC