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A New Year message from the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Hilary Benn MP

As we approach the New Year, I want to  thank the thousands of dedicated people working across Northern Ireland in our public services. not just for their contribution throughout the year, whether that has been in our schools, hospitals, or other public services  including the police, but for their commitment  throughout the Christmas and New Year period. We really appreciate it. 

Since the Good Friday Agreement was signed almost three decades ago, Northern Ireland has been transformed. It was an extraordinary achievement - one that I never thought I would see in my lifetime - and it has helped to lay the foundation of the more peaceful and prosperous society that we enjoy today. 

We can all be proud of the huge strides forward that Northern Ireland has taken, but if we’re going to be honest with ourselves, then we know that there’s so much potential to do even more. 

The wealth and jobs of tomorrow will come from those who are prepared to invest in Northern Ireland’s economic future.  There are many examples of those who have already recognised that Northern Ireland offers all the right ingredients for economic success: exceptional talent, unique opportunities, a tradition of creativity and a strong spirit of private sector entrepreneurship which I have the privilege to witness every time I visit a company. Indeed, what is so striking is how many of them are family businesses that started out small and have grown.

So what is the contribution that the government can make? The answer is simple. Stability. Every business I’ve ever met says: “Just let us know what the rules are, what your policy is and where you are wanting to take the economy in the future and we’ll get on with the rest.”

So, what is the UK Government doing to help?

We have delivered a record financial settlement of £19.3 billion a year for Northern Ireland, the largest in the history of devolution, and the Executive is being funded above Northern Ireland’s independently-assessed level of need. 

Like all governments, the Executive must now make the difficult decisions needed to live within its means and deliver a balanced budget. I look forward to working with them in the year ahead as they do so. 

To support economic growth, the Government is investing £617 million in the four city region growth deals, the new defence industrial strategy, £30 million for a Belfast-Derry/Londonderry innovation corridor as part of Local Innovation Partnerships Fund and £16.6m to create a ‘one stop shop’ that will help businesses unlock opportunities to trade across the UK internal market and enable businesses to take advantage of their access to the UK and EU markets. This will build on our recent trade deals with the USA, EU, India and more recently, South Korea - all of which will support the Northern Ireland economy as we look to create a  better economic future.

I also look forward to continuing to work closely with the Irish Government to strengthen the relationship between our two countries. Earlier this year, along with Tánaiste Simon Harris, I was pleased to announce a Joint Framework to address the legacy of the Troubles in Northern Ireland. 

There remains, of course, much work to do to implement the commitments that both governments made. Our legislation has now been introduced, and has started its parliamentary scrutiny process. 

My aim is to establish a new Legacy Commission that can command public confidence in helping families to find answers, and we will continue to talk to victims, survivors, veterans, and others to get this right.

During the past year, I have listened to many stories of grief, loss and unimaginable pain that families have shared with me about what happened during the Troubles to those they loved so much. 

A couple of months ago I went to Bragan Bog at the invitation of Columba McVeigh’s  family. He was 19 years of age when he was kidnapped and killed by the Provisional IRA, and buried somewhere in that bog.  All the searches so far have been unsuccessful in trying to find his remains, but his family and the International Commission for the Location of Victims Remains will never give up trying to find him.

We owe it to them and all the families who lost loved ones to get this right, and finally make progress on the unfinished business of the Good Friday Agreement.

As this year ends, I also think back to my visit to Mill Strand Integrated Primary School in Portrush in April, and the wonderful children, staff and founders of the school I met there. Young people like them are the future of Northern Ireland, and it is for them that we should continue to work together to advance prosperity, progress and peace. 

It is a great privilege to be the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, and I want to thank all those people who I have had the pleasure of working with and who have helped me to do my job.  Progress is all about teamwork.  

So it is in that spirit that I am looking forward to 2026, as I hope that we can continue to work together to build a better future for the next generation.