Ulster Unionist Party Leader Jon Burrows MLA, alongside Robin Swann MP and Dr Steve Aiken OBE MLA, met today with Secretary of State Hillary Benn to discuss this week's attack on Stephen Ogilvie in North Belfast and the disorder that followed.

Speaking after the meeting, Party Leader Jon Burrows MLA said:

“It was essential that we met with the Secretary of State this week following the horrific attack on Stephen and the violence that subsequently unfolded. We expressed a shared desire for calm and our full support for the PSNI, particularly following injuries sustained by officers last night.

“We raised serious concerns over the Common Travel Area and border enforcement. It is clear that checks are not being carried out to the required standard.

“The PSNI budget has been stripped back over consecutive years and current pressures are not helping.

“We made the case that the UK Government should support the PSNI with full cost recovery in relation to the current policing operation into the disorder and the Secretary of State committed to looking into this.

“It is essential that we decouple legal and illegal immigration in our politics and public debate. Conflating the two does a disservice to those who have come here lawfully and contributed enormously to our society. Illegal immigration is nonetheless a serious issue that must be tackled head on, and more must be done by the UK Government and our justice system to address it with the urgency it demands.

“With the permission of the family, I passed on the contact details of Stephen Ogilvie's father to the Secretary of State so that he may make direct contact at this difficult time.

“We also raised the ongoing absence of a budget for Northern Ireland and the need for the UK Government to recognise Northern Ireland's level of funding need.

“We further raised the issues of legacy and specifically Irish industrial explosives and the need for answers as to how commercial explosives ended up in the hands of the IRA over many years, and we welcome that the Secretary of State is actively looking into these matters.

“The Ulster Unionist Party will continue to monitor the situation closely and will not hesitate to raise these issues at every level of government.”