Omagh Labour councillor says new Government is ‘positive’

AN Omagh native who has served as a Labour councillor in London for the past decade believes his party’s landslide success in the General Election will have positive repercussions for stabilising the Stormont Assembly.

Diarmaid Ward is currently the Deputy Leader of Islington Council and an Executive member for Finance, Planning and Performance on Islington Council. He has been a councillor for Holloway since 2014, but his roots are firmly in Tyrone where he was a former pupil of Christ the King Primary and Omagh CBS.

Like many, he watched the unfolding drama last week with interest, joy and optimism. The intervening few days have added to his positive feelings over this first Labour Government since 2010, and its potential to change things for the better in the North.

“It is brilliant that the Labour Government has really hit the ground running because this success for the party has been a long time coming,” he told the UlsterHerald.

‘Grown-ups’

He has met the new Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, on a number of occasions and says ‘the grown-ups’ are in charge now.

“Politics for so long has been about slogans, and now the priority is to grow the economy. Some of Keir Starmer’s first steps around health and education have been very welcome,” he adds.

“I have worked with him and attended meetings that he has also been at. He is someone who gets things done and I look forward to what lies in store.”

Core funding for the NI Assembly, securing stability within Stormont and repealing the Legacy Act are among the issues of crucial significance here, and Mr Ward has no doubt in the ability of the new PM to ensure key progress.

“I’d be cautiously optimistic about the likelihood of progress on these issues. Northern Ireland has been forgotten more than most in the austerity of the past 14 years,” he added.

“Keir Starmer’s visit to Stormont earlier this week is, in my view, a sign of how he is going to do business. First Minister, Michelle O’Neill and Deputy First Minister Emma Little Pengelly will in my view be much more involved now.

“The Legacy Act was extremely unpopular and it is great that it will be repealed. Just as important is that we can re-invigorate health, education and cover some of the funding gaps and actually have a Stormont Assembly which works.”