The DUP has placed an emphasis on making Northern Ireland work in its Speaking Up For Northern Ireland manifesto.
Here, the PA news agency gives an outline of the party’s claims of delivery and commitments going forward in the almost 50-page document.
– Delivery
The DUP contends it has an “unrivalled” track record for making the pro-union case for Northern Ireland in Parliament, pointing to the establishment of the new East-West Council, creation of Intertrade UK and a twinning programme for primary schools.
It also emphasises its input in investment in broadband and said Northern Ireland is on course to be the first region in Europe to have 100% fibre broadband thanks to their MPs. It also claims to have secured significant investment, including the Belfast Region City Deal, and to have helped deliver significant Ministry of Defence contracts to firms in Northern Ireland as well as justice for Northern Ireland subpostmasters.
– Removing barriers within the United Kingdom
The DUP outlines being left to “pick up the pieces” following the Northern Ireland Protocol treaty in the aftermath of Brexit. The party said it did not agree with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Windsor Framework, and spent another year in negotiations with the government before taking the decision on balance to return to the Stormont Assembly.
The party said that while the government’s command paper ahead of their return to Stormont did not secure all of their objectives, it included “important gains which were worthy of banking”. The DUP has committed to continue to campaign with whichever party forms the next government to “fully restore Northern Ireland’s place within the UK”, “including removing the application of EU Law in our country and the internal Irish Sea border it creates”.
– Delivering for public services
Noting underfunding “has systematically destroyed Northern Ireland capacity to provide frontline services that are fit for the 21st century”, the DUP said it had led the charge for a new needs-based funding model for the region, and while the government was “forced to accept a new definition of need”, “fundamental problems remain unresolved”.
The DUP said in the next parliament its representatives will press the government to ensure funding does not drop below the definition of assessed need in Northern Ireland, £124 for every £100 spent in England. It will also campaign for baseline funding for the region to be increased proportionately by the same amount above need as the government applied to Wales with a new needs-based factor and 5% uplift. The DUP says this will be worth hundreds of millions of pounds in additional resources for government departments moving forward.
The DUP has also pledged to engage in discussions with the government around public sector pay and to reform the Northern Ireland Civil Service.
– Campaigning to protect family incomes
The DUP said it will press the next government to do more to support households as the cost-of-living crisis continues.
The party will campaign for the availability of flexible childcare, secure pensions, more opportunities for young people and oppose hikes in the licence fee.
– Unleashing full economic potential
The DUP wants to see the number of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) increase by upping the VAT thresholds for SMEs; use VAT to incentivise investment; call for a new UK export strategy with a specific trade plan for Northern Ireland; press for a new national industrial strategy and for a Hydrogen Growth Strategy to maximise opportunities in the sector where Northern Ireland company Wrightbus is “leading the world”.
The party also wants a “more agile and response migration system”, to help staff areas where there are labour shortages, particularly in the agri-food and hospitality sectors. Meanwhile, it also reiterates its long-term call for the rate of corporation tax to be lowered in Northern Ireland to compete with the Republic of Ireland.
– Defence and security
The DUP is calling for more defence spending in Northern Ireland as well as an increased RAF and Royal Navy presence in the region to “fortify the north-western naval and air patrol presence”, arguing that would deter Russia’s “attempts to target undersea infrastructure around the UK”.
In recognition of the ongoing terrorist threat in Northern Ireland, the DUP is calling for more funding from the government for security, and also to address delays in trying terrorism cases in the courts.
– Backing farmers
The DUP is calling for increased and ring-fenced support for farms and “long-term inflation-proof financial commitments to agriculture”, adding that food security should be “recognised as a strategic national asset in the UK”.
The party is calling for international trade deals that benefit agriculture across the UK, a commitment by the government to source 50% of food into the public sector from British farms, maintaining compensation rates for cattle infected with bovine TB and supporting fishing fleets in Northern Ireland.
– Path towards net zero
The DUP said it supports long-term net zero ambitions and will press for a “truly fair transition” which addresses the “looming threat of further costs threatened by changes to emissions trading schemes and the impact of the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Carbon Mechanism on trade between GB and NI”.
– Standing up for victims of crime
The DUP has called for a crackdown on the “wild west of social media”, with age verification, risk assessments, new duties on platforms to remove illegal and harmful content, new criminal offences established for encouraging self-harm, trolling and cyber-flashing, as well as sanctions and fines for social media platforms.
The party also pledged to support efforts to repeal the government’s controversial Legacy Act, call for a “fully staffed and properly resourced police service” and press for stronger custodial sentences for murder and terror offences in Northern Ireland.