Serious questions for SF minister over latest revelation on cancelled jobs investment - DUP's Buckley
There are serious questions for Stormont’s economy minister over the withdrawal of an offer of 300 well-paid jobs for Northern Ireland, after new details emerged about a crunch meeting in New York, a DUP MLA has said.
In January, Jonathan Buckley first raised questions about what had happened when Caoimhe Archibald met Cantor Fitzgerald representatives – suggesting that the company had withdrawn because of the Sinn Fein minister’s views on Gaza.
Then, a brief record of the meeting was released by the Department for the Economy (DfE) – which showed the jobs offer was retracted after a discussion on “current geopolitical issues”.
Now, the Belfast Telegraph has reported that a formal letter of offer had been signed, and discussions were under way about the timing of a public announcement.
Mr Buckley (pictured) said the minister must “urgently explain what happened”, and that the latest revelations “raise serious questions” about her actions.
The Upper Bann MLA said: “The minister and her department’s approach surrounding Cantor Fitzgerald is extremely concerning.
“With each piece of information dragged out of the minister’s department, more questions arise.
“For a project of this scale to collapse raises very serious questions about what exactly happened in that meeting and what was said.
“At a time when Northern Ireland must be doing everything possible to attract investment and create high-quality jobs, the loss of 300 positions in the financial services sector is deeply damaging.
“What is equally concerning is the apparent reluctance of the Department for the Economy to release information about what occurred.
“It increasingly appears that SF ministers are content to travel to America to attend fundraising dinners for their own political benefit, but when it comes to doing the hard work of securing investment and jobs for people here at home, serious questions are now being asked.”
A DfE spokesperson said NI has a “compelling investment proposition” including a skilled talent base and “sectoral strengths” – and “it is for companies to explain their investment decisions.”