Water charges: Michelle O’Neill denies introducing new charges

Premier Michelle O’Neill has ruled out introducing water charges while in office.

Mr O’Neill also claimed he would be the “first minister for everyone” and would attend events across community and political divides.

That includes going to Windsor Park to watch a Northern Ireland football match.

Mr O’Neill was asked about Stormont’s finances in his first in-depth interview with BBC News NI since becoming Northern Ireland’s first minister.

In particular, she was asked whether Stormont’s party had committed to introducing measures to raise more money in Northern Ireland.

In December, the government proposed a £3.3bn funding package to restore Stormont’s devolution, which is expected to be announced shortly.

A key condition attached to the package was the willingness to raise more funds locally through taxes and fees.

But Sinn Féin deputy leader Mr O’Neill denied he had “signed up any revenue increases”, adding that he believed other parties had not done so either.

“I’m clearly saying no to water bills,” she told BBC News NI.

“I want to be clear that we cannot force people living through a cost-of-living crisis to shoulder additional household costs while public services decline.”

A spokesperson for the Office for Northern Ireland said: “Like all governments in the UK, the Executive needs to make choices that support stability, prosperity and sustainable public services.”

The spokesperson added that the Treasury will write to Finance Minister Caoimhe Archibald in due course to set out the details of the funding and related terms.

Ms O’Neill is the first nationalist to hold the post of Prime Minister of Northern Ireland since it was created under the Good Friday Agreement in 1998.

She said she would use her position to “extend a hand of friendship” to people with a background as a trade unionist and in other parts of the world who call Northern Ireland home.

Mr O’Neill has previously attended controversial IRA commemorations as a senior member of the Irish Republican Party.

Asked whether he intended to attend such a commemoration while in office, he said he wanted to remain true to his current role, but added that the people had the right to “remember the dead.”

“When we talk about the past and people who have lost loved ones, I think first of all we need to be very mindful of the fact that there are families who are grieving,” she said.

“The most important thing about the Good Friday Agreement itself is that we all have to respect the right of people to remember the dead. That’s the number one starting point here.”

Asked whether it was a yes or no to attending IRA commemorations, Mr O’Neill said: “I am very comfortable and very sincere in saying that I am a republican.”

But he added: “We all come from different backgrounds and we need to be mature enough to understand that people have a right to remember their dead.”

“I am very conscious of the office I hold and every decision I make is based on the fact that I have integrity and respect for the office of the First Minister.”

Ms O’Neill said she had “no doubt” that she would attend football matches at Windsor Park, home of the Northern Ireland national team, in her new role.

In 2023, she tweeted her support for Northern Ireland football manager Michael O’Neill and his men’s team ahead of an important match.

The First Minister said sport “can unite many people in society” and said he would accept an invitation to Windsor Park.

Ms O’Neill also revealed that she received a handwritten letter of congratulations from the King after taking up her new role.