Northern Ireland political parties face off in BBC TV debate

The election will take place on July 4th, with 18 seats up for grabs in Northern Ireland.

Representatives from all five major political parties took part in Thursday night’s debate.

DUP leader Gavin Robinson, Sinn Féin’s Chris Hazzard, SDLP leader Colum Eastwood, Alliance leader Naomi Long and UUP deputy leader Robbie Butler answered questions from live viewers.

On the future of the health service, the executive was questioned about why it had not provided enough extra funding to tackle issues such as long waiting lists and transforming services.

In May, then Ulster Unionist Health Minister Robin Swann voted against the executive budget for 2024-2025, arguing it would lead to real cuts to the Department of Health.

Chris Hazzard said the next UK Government had a responsibility to work with Northern Ireland MPs to call for increased funding for investment in the health service and reforms.

DUP leader Gavin Robinson said if the Executive had allocated more money to health, the departments of justice and education would not have had the funding for police officers or special needs education.

Naomi Long argued any plans for reform needed to come from Ulster Unionist Health Minister Mike Nesbitt.

His colleague Robbie Butler told the audience that the suspension of previous devolution powers at Stormont had led to stagnation in the health service, while Socialist Labour leader Colum Eastwood said parties needed to stop “bickering” and make a united appeal to the UK Government.

The two parties also disagreed when asked how politicians can regain public trust after years of power-sharing being suspended.

Mr Long said Stormont was “not as stable” as it was the day devolution was returned in February after a two-year boycott by the DUP.

“Politicians need to be willing to stick to the promises they make and deliver the government they promise,” she said.

Hazzard said he could not imagine any circumstances under which the party would topple these institutions again, while Butler said it was “right” that people across the UK and Ireland distrusted politicians, and criticised the DUP for “taking their players off the pitch”.

Mr Robinson, who became DUP leader in March, avoided saying the party would never back down from devolution again but defended the DUP’s exit and accused other parties of “complaining” about post-Brexit trade rules but “doing nothing”.

The SDLP leader said his party had never abolished power-sharing and it was “strange” that other parties could not make the same promise.

The five politicians were also asked about the constitutional future of Northern Ireland.

The nationalist parties Sinn Féin and the Socialist Workers’ Party support a united Ireland, while the unionist parties DUP and UUP favour remaining in the Union for Northern Ireland.

Mr Eastwood said Irish unity was a “very attractive proposition” and planning for a border vote should start now.

Alliance leader Naomi Long defended her party’s neutrality on the issue, saying “nobody should wake up in a sweat at night about the border” and that the focus needed to be on resolving the issues in Northern Ireland before moving on to talk of Irish unity.

Mr Robinson acknowledged Northern Ireland was “chronically underfunded” by Westminster but said it “benefits from being part of the fifth largest economy in the world”, citing health costs in the Republic of Ireland as an example.

Butler said politicians should make Northern Ireland work to ensure a more prosperous future for all.

On the topic of the Middle East conflict, Sinn Féin’s Chris Hazzard was asked whether his party would visit the White House next year if President Biden was re-elected and the conflict between Israel and Gaza continued.

The party came under criticism from some supporters this year for choosing to take part in an event in Washington DC, but Hazzard said Sinn Féin would “continue to travel to represent the Palestinian voice wherever their voice needs to be heard”.