'Not the time to pledge a sum': Hilary Benn will not confirm Casement money

Hilary Benn says that now is not the time to pledge a sum

The Northern Ireland Secretary of State has declined to say how much money the government might be willing to contribute to redeveloping Casement Park.

Hilary Benn was speaking for the first time since it emerged that no money will come from Westminster for the stadium to be built in time for Euro 2028.

He said all parties, including the Stormont Executive and the GAA, now need to "take stock".

Benn added that changed circumstances of the stadium's proposed facilities meant "now is not the time to pledge a sum".

Plans have now switched to building a venue simply for GAA matches

'A new design than what was envisaged for the Euros'

He previously said that the government was committed to ensuring the stadium was built.

"The last government did absolutely nothing to progress the project at all. We looked to see if it might be possible to rescue it but in the end.

"The conclusion we came to was, even if you put a very large amount of money into it, there was a risk you would not complete the stadium in time for the Euros," he told BBC News NI on Monday.

Benn defended the government's decision to issue the news via email at 19:10 BST on Friday saying: "We wanted to inform everyone together and as quickly as possible as every single one of us is going to have to take stock.

"Clearly there needs to be a new design than what was envisaged for the Euros."

He added that he had spoken to Stormont First Minister Michelle O'Neill and would talk to the GAA President Jarlath Burns on Monday.

Plan B

O'Neill described the government's handling of the decision not to fund Casement Park in time for Euro 2028 as "absolutely shambolic".

She said it was an attempt to "bury bad news" and "hope people wouldn't notice".

She added that the government now needs to spell out its "plan B" regarding a contribution towards the stadium.

Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly said questions needed to be asked of the Irish Football Association (IFA) regarding what role Northern Ireland could still have in Euro 2028.

"The leadership of the IFA now need to outline what their plan B is, how can they ensure the football community and Northern Ireland can have a legacy in what is happening elsewhere," she said.

Stormont SDLP leader of the opposition Matthew O’Toole said the government "has handled the Casement situation appallingly" and questioned why Stormont ministers did not bring the funding issue up during the Executive’s meeting with Chancellor Rachael Reeves last week.

Earlier, Stormont's Sports Minister Gordon Lyons said he would engage with the GAA and others about the future of redeveloping the stadium.

Speaking to BBC News NI's Talkback programme, Lyons said it was always going to be "exceptionally difficult" for it to be constructed in time for Euro 2028.

The GAA and Sinn Féin have called for the government to say how much money it is willing to pay towards redeveloping Casement Park.

A total of about £120m has been pledged so far – the Dublin government contribution plus £62.5m from the Stormont executive and £15m from the GAA.

The focus has now switched to building a venue simply for GAA matches at the site in west Belfast.

Lyons said the decision had been made last year to pursue the Euro tournament, but that other options should have been considered.

"I don't believe all the eggs should have been put in this basket," he said.

Asked repeatedly whether Stormont would increase the amount it has already committed to the scheme, £62.5m, Lyons said that would be up to the executive but that departments are severely constrained in terms of funding.

Although it will be cheaper than a stadium that can host international football matches, there is a still a financial shortfall.

An extra £100m could be needed, and maybe much more.

Simon Harris says there are still unknowns around Casement's final cost

The Taoiseach (Irish PM) Simon Harris refused to “rule in or out” providing extra money for the stadium's redevelopment.

Speaking during a visit to Londonderry on Monday, Harris said the €50m (£42.2m) his government pledged "still stands".

He added he understood the disappointment but that the UK government "wouldn't have arrived lightly" at the decision.

Harris said it was vital now that "all stakeholders now need to intensively engage to work out how best to proceed”.

"What I have heard from people in recent days is, Casement is still going to happen, it has to happen," he said.

He added there are still many “unknowns” around the final cost of the stadium and once the figure becomes clear there will be more discussions.

When asked if the UK government should provide funding he said he “respected the process and was not going to cut across it”.

The new relationship between London and Dublin, he said, would not suffer because of “one individual decision”.

He added it was important Northern Ireland benefited from Euro 2028 even without hosting some of the games.

How much will it cost?

Benn is expected to meet the GAA this week.

Questions have been raised about how the government estimated it would cost more than £400m to build Casement in time for Euro 2028.

The GAA said it was substantially more than estimates they had seen.

A government source said: "We commissioned expert independent analysis, which took into account benchmarks from similar stadia builds, and the range of challenges facing this project at this stage.

"This showed that the final cost of stadium that complied with Uefa’s minimum requirements could be more than £400 million.

"A combination of the passage of time, inflation, challenges in the construction sector, the complexity of the project, the need to comply with Uefa’s requirements, and the urgency and uncertainty in the project at this stage have all contributed to this increase in the maximum potential cost."

A GAA-only stadium would be less expensive but the rising cost of building materials in recent years means it will still require a significant sum of money.

Although the chances of Northern Ireland staging Euro 2028 games appear to have gone, it could still host warm-up matches and be a training base for one of the international teams.

BBC News NI's political editor Enda McClafferty said it was understood the figure for the GAA-only stadium would be in and around £250m, leaving a £130m shortfall to be made up.

He said it was important to bear in mind that Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer kept saying the cupboards were bare, and they were looking at a £22bn black hole.

"It's in the interest of the government to talk up the cost, as they are letting everybody down in a sense in terms of stepping away from the project in time for the Euros," he said.

"At the same time it's in the GAA's interest to try and manage expectations around cost because they know this will land back in Stormont."

GAA president Jarlath Burns spoke to BBC Northern Ireland's Sunday Politics show

'Put their money on the table'

Stormont finance minister, Sinn Féin’s Caoimhe Archibald, said the government needs to clarify its position.

''What we need to see now from the British government is them honouring their commitment to funding Casement Park and for them to put their money on the table.”

GAA president Jarlath Burns made similar remarks on BBC NI’s Sunday Politics programme.

"All we are asking the British government now is – tell us how much, so we can build our stadium," he said.

He added he would "seek engagement with NI partners, including the GAA, on the appropriate way forward for Casement Park".

'False starts and delays'

A UK government spokesperson said: ''We are committed to creating a lasting Euro 2028 legacy for the people of the UK and Ireland.

“The redevelopment of Casement Park has been beset by false starts and delays, and exceeds all reasonable expectations on cost.

"As such, it would be irresponsible - given the £22bn black hole inherited from the previous government - to fund a project that has a very high risk of not being completed in good time for the tournament.

“We will continue to work together with partners and Uefa to ensure everyone benefits from Euro 2028.”