Casement Park: Tory MP calls for UK government to 'step up to the plate'

Sir Robert Buckland it would be a "missed opportunity" if Euro 2028 games weren't held in Northern Ireland

A senior Conservative MP has said the UK government has a "responsibility to help step up to the plate" to fund the redevelopment of Casement Park.

Sir Robert Buckland said the government had "an important role to play" to ensure the stadium can host games in Euro 2028.

He said it is important that Northern Ireland plays a full role in the football tournament.

And it would be a "missed opportunity" if games weren't held in Northern Ireland.

The chair of the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee said football was "hugely popular" in Northern Ireland and described the sport as a "unifying force".

'Value for money'

However, he added that it "wouldn't be right for the government to commit itself to some sort of black hole in terms of funding".

He said the government shared responsibility with the Northern Ireland Executive to ensure the Casement Park project was "value for money".

Sir Robert was speaking to Mark Carruthers for the BBC's The View programme.

Diggers on the site of the stadium in west Belfast

Euro 2028 matches are due to be played at the GAA's west Belfast stadium but redevelopment work has yet to get under way and the funding is not in place.

Questions remain about whether the stadium will be built in time for the event.

On Thursday diggers were seen on the site.

An official estimate puts the cost of the redevelopment at about £308m.

The Irish government has committed €50m (£42.7m) towards the project, while the GAA has said it will contribute £15m.

You can watch the full interview with Sir Robert Buckland on The View on BBC iPlayer and at 10:40 GMT BBC One Northern Ireland on Thursday.