Newly appointed Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Chris Bryant has said the role is \u201cdaunting\u201d and comes with \u201cheavy responsibility\u201d. <\/p>\n
The Welsh-born politician said he was looking forward \u201cto getting properly stuck in\u201d. \u201cThere is serious work ahead, and I am ready to get on with it,\u201d he said on Tuesday. <\/p>\n
The MP for the Welsh constituency of Rhondda and Ogmore replaced Hilary Benn<\/a> in a cabinet reshuffle after Andy Burnham<\/a> took office as the new UK prime minister on Monday. <\/p>\n In a phone call with Bryant on Tuesday, Minister for Foreign Affairs Helen McEntee<\/a> discussed the implementation of commitments made by the Irish and British governments on legacy as well as EU-UK relations and \u201cmy desire during our [EU] presidency to build on progress made over the past two years\u201d, she said.<\/p>\n In an interview with the BBC, Bryant said his \u201cchecklist\u201d of issues included \u201ceconomic opportunity\u201d for young people, tackling Northern Ireland<\/a>\u2019s finances and \u201ctaking forward\u201d the UK\u2019s legacy legislation in a way that \u201cworks for everybody\u201d. <\/p>\n A Border poll on Irish reunification was \u201cnot on my list of priorities at the moment\u201d, he said.<\/p>\n Asked by Sky News in 2024 whether he agreed with Sinn F\u00e9in<\/a> vice-president and Northern Ireland\u2019s First Minister Michelle O\u2019Neill<\/a> that a vote on Irish unity was \u201cinevitable\u201d, Bryant said he always avoided the word \u201cbecause you can never predict what\u2019s going to happen in the future … but yes, that may come at some point\u201d.<\/p>\n Bryant spoke by phone with O\u2019Neill and Sinn F\u00e9in leader Mary Lou McDonald<\/a> on Tuesday. <\/p>\n In a statement issued afterwards, McDonald said both Bryant and his government \u201cmust recognise\u201d that \u201cpolitical realities in Britain and Ireland are rapidly changing\u201d and \u201cthe next part of this island\u2019s political journey is focused on … Irish unity\u201d.<\/p>\n [\u00a0What does Andy Burnham taking over as British PM mean for Northern Ireland?Opens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n O\u2019Neill said they \u201cstressed\u201d to Bryant that the Labour<\/a> government\u2019s approach to Northern Ireland \u201cmust change\u201d and the Northern Executive be funded \u201cfairly\u201d.<\/p>\n