'Full steam ahead on legacy bill', NI Secretary says

The newly appointed Secretary of State, Sir Chris Bryant, has insisted it is "full steam ahead" for his government when it comes to passing Troubles legacy legislation through Parliament.

He was speaking as he arrived in the Republic of Ireland for the first time since taking on the role earlier in the summer.

Sir Chris is in Dublin for a series of engagements, meeting with government ministers as well as UK and Irish business representatives.

The government has faced criticism for delays in passing the Troubles legacy bill, which was introduced last year, following agreement on a joint framework with the Irish government.

Labour's bill seeks to replace the contentious Legacy Act, which introduced a ban on inquests and civil actions related to Troubles-era incidents.

Speaking on Monday, Sir Chris said the government would be tabling amendments to the legislation in the "next few days".

He said the government had to "make sure we get answers for families" who had spent decades living with "pain and anguish".

"We've got to step up to the plate, the Irish government has got to step up to the plate and we need to do that in lockstep," the secretary of state added.

The new plan involves a Legacy Commission to investigate Troubles-related killings, a separate information recovery body, and a dedicated legacy unit within An Garda Síochána (Irish police).

A package of protections for veterans has also been proposed by the UK government.

But some MPs, including Northern Ireland MPs, have said the measures do not go far enough and want to amend the bill to include stronger protections in law.

Speaking later on Irish broadcaster RTÉ's News at One programme, Sir Chris said he worried that "some people have misunderstood the purpose of the bill", adding that it was all about getting answers for families.

He said that would only happen if there is "transparency" from both Westminster and the Irish government.

The secretary of state also described as "shocking" the lack of an agreed budget at Stormont almost five months into this financial year.

Executive parties have said they cannot support the financial allocations on offer as it will leave their departments having to make cuts to services.

Treasury officials have been engaged over summer with the executive in a bid to reach a breakthrough, with Sir Chris saying he wants to get a budget "over the line in the next few days".

"We can't have constant overspends and this process of coming back to us every year asking for more money," he added.

The secretary of state said the executive could consider more "self-help" in the form of revenue raising, but said where there are "significant" budgetary pressures he wanted to be able to help.

Earlier, Sir Chris said he was committed to working with ministers to uphold the Good Friday Agreement and to "deliver on the commitments on legacy that both governments have made".

He emphasised the importance of UK-Irish economic ties and added he was also there to make the case for Northern Ireland's "immense economic potential".

The secretary of state will hold bilateral meetings with Ireland's Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Helen McEntee TD, and Minister for Justice, Jim O'Callaghan TD.

They will discuss shared priorities, including economic growth, joint security, and both governments' commitments on addressing the legacy of the past.

Speaking before his visit Sir Chris said: "The UK-Ireland relationship is fundamental to our shared security and prosperity, and has been significantly strengthened over the past two years," he said.

The secretary of state will be joined by Northern Ireland Minister Baroness Ruth Anderson and the King's Ambassador to Dublin, Kara Owen, throughout the day's engagements.

Sir Chris visited Northern Ireland in July and said he was coming to Northern Ireland with "a checklist of things I want to get sorted" rather than a chequebook.

He was visiting Northern Ireland for a series of engagements, which included meeting the political parties at Hillsborough Castle.

Parties in the Northern Ireland Executive had been calling for increased funding from the government so they could set a budget.

He said the parties had already made strong representations to him about funding but said he wouldn't have "a set of decisions for people".

Sir Chris Bryant was appointed to the job following Prime Minister Andy Burnham's Cabinet reshuffle last month.

He said his appointment came as a quite a shock, describing the role as "daunting".

The secretary of state told BBC News NI that his new role demanded "such phenomenal responsibility" and said a border poll on Irish unity was "not on my list of priorities at the moment".

The Northern Ireland role is Sir Chris's first cabinet position, although he held a number of shadow front bench roles under Sir Keir Starmer and Jeremy Corbyn.

He joined the Labour party in 1986 and has served as MP in the Welsh constituency of Rhondda and Ogmore since 2001.

The Welsh MP is a former Anglican priest but quit the church in 1991 over its stance on homosexuality.

He and long-term partner Jarred Cranney were the first couple to enter a civil partnership in the Palace of Westminster in 2010.

In 2023 he was awarded a knighthood in recognition of his campaigning work around acquired brain injury and melanoma - a type of skin cancer.