No Casement Park funding announcement until after UK election - Heaton-Harris

Northern Ireland Secretary of State Chris Heaton-Harris has said that an announcement on funding for Casement Park in Belfast will be made after the UK general election on 4 July.

Asked about whether the current government is reneging on its commitment to fund the redevelopment of the stadium, Mr Heaton-Harris said: "I think you’ll find that there’ll be an announcement almost certainly by the new government on this in the future, which will suggest the premise of your question might not be correct."

Northern Ireland's deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly said: "There have been a number of discussions and, as indicated, it is likely that this issue will be touched on again after the general election, but we’re not anticipating any news prior to the general election certainly on it.

"I’m privy to some of those discussions with the UK government, Chris Heaton-Harris would be more privy to some of that than I would be," she added.

The comments come amid mounting speculation that Casement Park is set to be axed as a venue for the European Football Championship in 2028.

The money required to redevelop the stadium in time for the tournament is not in place.

Earlier this week, Taoiseach Simon Harris made clear that Irish Government funding for the venue is guaranteed regardless of whether it hosts matches during Euro 2028.

The derelict ground, in west Belfast, is due to stage five games as part of the joint hosting by Ireland and the UK of the showpiece tournament.

Ulster GAA and the Irish Football Association recently wrote to the British Prime Minister asking his government to bridge the funding gap.

On a recent visit to Belfast, Rishi Sunak insisted that his administration would make a "substantial contribution" to the