Ministers last night rejected the redevelopment of a derelict Belfast football stadium, despite an alleged bid by Sir Keir Starmer‘s chief of staff to drive it through.
Casement Park, a Gaelic games venue, was earmarked to host matches for the Euro 2028 football tournament but needed a £310million bailout from the UK Government to render it suitable.
But ministers have said that providing funding would not be ‘appropriate’ due to soaring renovation costs, predicted to hit as much as £400million, and fears that it would not be built in time.
Sir Keir’s top aide Sue Gray, who favoured financing the project, had been accused of angering senior Government figures by ‘personally dominating’ negotiations and ‘subverting’ Cabinet ministers in order to push it through.
In a letter to the communities minister in Northern Ireland, Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn and Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy wrote: ‘Having sought expert advice and analysis, we have concluded that there is a significant risk that the stadium would not be built in time.
Sir Keir’s top aide Sue Gray, who favoured financing the project, had been accused of angering senior Government figures by ‘personally dominating’ negotiations and ‘subverting’ Cabinet ministers in order to push it through
Casement Park (pictured), a Gaelic games venue, was earmarked to host matches for the Euro 2028 football tournament but needed a £310million bailout from the UK Government to render it suitable
An artist’s impression of the redevelopment of Casement Park. The Northern Ireland Secretary wrote ‘it is not appropriate for the UK Government to provide funding to seek to build Casement Park in time to host matches at Euro 2028’
‘The estimated build costs have risen dramatically – from £180million when the Euro 2028 bid was awarded in October 2023 to potentially over £400million – and there is a significant risk that it would not be built in time for the tournament.
‘We have therefore, regrettably, decided that it is not appropriate for the UK Government to provide funding to seek to build Casement Park in time to host matches at Euro 2028.’
Ms Gray’s involvement was branded ‘constitutionally improper’ by a Whitehall source, who claimed it was ‘an unelected member of staff spending public money on an area of interest to them, subverting Cabinet’.
Sir Keir subsequently rejected any concerns about his chief of staff’s involvement, saying reports of conflict were ‘complete nonsense’.
