Gavin Robinson highlights DUP's 'fair and essential demands' for Northern Ireland ahead of budget

​Last week, the DUP set out their position in a letter to Chancellor Rachel Reeves – which highlighted the party’s position in increasing the level of funding Northern Ireland receives from the UK Treasury.

In an email to party members at the weekend, the DUP leader said the letter outlined “what we believe are not just requests, but fair and essential demands for the people of Northern Ireland”.

“At the heart of this is our call for the Government to allocate funding based on need. For too long, Northern Ireland has been short-changed, with funding failing to reflect the deep and long-term challenges we face in areas such as poverty, health, and public services.

“This unfair approach has left Northern Ireland struggling to meet basic service standards—standards that, as a Party, we are committed to raising. It is high time that Westminster recognises these needs and delivers a funding deal that genuinely reflects the realities on the ground.

“We also reminded the Chancellor that the budget needs to reward people who work hard rather than crippling them with further taxes. Rather than penalising families who work hard, the Treasury should be focusing on the internet giants who have billions of sales in the UK but pay derisory levels of tax to the Treasury”.

The row over this week’s Budget has focused on whether workers will pay more. The Chancellor is expected to raise employers’ – rather than employee – national insurance contributions by at least one percentage point in the Budget, which could hit small businesses particularly hard.

The Labour government claims that working people won’t see higher taxes “on their payslip” as speculation mounts over who will be hit hardest by the Budget.

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson repeated warnings that Wednesday’s financial statement will include “tough choices”, but she insisted it is a choice between investment or decline for the UK.

However, the Cabinet minister refused to say whether a small business owner earning £13,000 a year is considered a “working person” who should be protected from tax rises in Rachel Reeves’ first Budget.

Labour had pledged in its manifesto not to raise taxes for “working people”, explicitly ruling out increases to VAT, national insurance, and income tax.

The SDLP Leader has echoed the DUP call for a “fair” funding settlement for Northern Ireland. Claire Hanna MP has written to Chancellor Rachel Reeves ahead of the Budget, setting out six key asks.

“There is no overstating the harm caused by instability and austerity over recent years. This week’s Budget provides the UK Government with an opportunity to chart a new course, one defined by ambition, that recognises the pressures on communities and which rebuilds public services” the South Belfast and Mid Down MP said.

She added: “We need multi-year budgets from both London and Belfast and recognition that the current arrangements only encourage the Stormont’s Executive’s short-term and paint-by-numbers approach”.