Ministers have been pressed to guarantee a key Labour official has not sought to influence decisions on Casement Park.
DUP MP Sammy Wilson (East Antrim) raised concerns over the role of Sue Gray, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s chief of staff, amid reports about her alleged involvement in talks over the project.
The derelict west Belfast ground has been earmarked to host five matches at the Euro 2028 football tournament, which is being held in the UK and Ireland.
Speaking in the Commons, Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn said: “The Government is committed to ensuring that Euro 2028 benefits the whole of the United Kingdom. We’re working as quickly as possible with all partners to assess the options on the Casement Park project.”
But Mr Wilson said: “Many people were surprised when the Secretary of State made it his priority to deliver on Casement Park.
“Committing £320 million for a stadium to host five matches at a time when there are huge waiting lists to be dealt with in the health service, special needs education needs funding and social housing needs funding is an indefensible use of public money.
“Can the Secretary of State give us an assurance that the Government’s view has not been influenced by any personal interventions by the chief of staff of the Labour Party, this is a personal project, and can he confirm that such an intervention would be a breach of public standards in public life?”
Mr Benn replied: “What I said was it’s a priority because a decision needs to be made.
“The fact is the Government has inherited a commitment to hosting the Euros at Casement Park, it is now a year and three-quarters since Uefa awarded that right to Northern Ireland and to the United Kingdom and Ireland, nothing has happened during the year and three-quarters since then to progress the project.
“We’re left with a situation where the cost has gone through the roof and we don’t know even if you had the money whether you could build it in time and that is why the Government is looking at it, and that’s why I said it was a priority to make a decision.”
