Confident Barcelona had several more chances to make their margin of victory more emphatic, but found returning Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois in impressive form. They will need to win all of their remaining matches to equal the LaLiga record of 100 points, while a win over Real Betis next weekend would see them go through a whole league season with a 100 per cent winning home record at the Camp Nou. It was a bittersweet moment for head coach Flick, who was in the dugout following the death of his father, which was announced just hours ahead of kick-off.

Emma Willis is reportedly set to accept the Strictly Come Dancing hosting role, with Zoe Ball also tipped to join her as they replace Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman on the BBC show.

Emma Willis is reportedly being lined up for the Strictly Come Dancing presenting position alongside another well-known personality.

Considerable conjecture has surrounded who might succeed Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman on the BBC ballroom programme after they decided to depart from the show last year, reports the Mirror..

The BBC is understood to have auditioned numerous celebrities, and it has now been claimed that the broadcaster is poised to offer the position to Emma Willis, with Zoe Ball also tipped to assume the second presenting slot.

A source said: “Emma has been offered the Strictly job and is going to accept. She absolutely nailed the chemistry tests and the BBC adore her. Emma is a household name and a safe pair of hands so the BBC know she will do the job justice.

“She’s incredibly popular with the public too and will suit the role down to a tee. She was absolutely thrilled to have been offered the job. Strictly is one of the biggest shows on television and to be trusted with the new era is something Emma feels incredibly proud and humbled by.”

Zoe Ball is also expected to be invited to appear alongside Emma, replacing Tess and Claudia. The duo allegedly underwent a chemistry test together, as did other combinations including Alex Jones and Rylan Clark and Bradley Walsh and Rob Rinder.

“Emma is seen as the Tess of the duo. Her background in live – and occasionally tense – broadcasting situations means she can handle anything that is thrown at her,” a source told The Sun. “Zoe and her really clicked and it’s looking likely that Zoe will take on the role Claudia held in the auditorium with the celebs and the pro’s. The BBC are excited about how their new look Strictly is coming together and think the public will agree.”

The Mirror has approached BBC representatives for comment.

Both Emma and Zoe are prominent figures at the BBC, each presenting their own radio programmes with the corporation. Emma fronts her own Saturday afternoon programme on BBC Radio 2.

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She’d previously expressed her affection for the BBC dancing programme. In 2021, when questioned about participating in the show, she said: “If I had time, I would do it in a heartbeat. Like I absolutely love it.”

Back in September, Tess and Claudia revealed they were stepping down from the programme following the conclusion of that series.

They stated: “We have loved working as a duo and hosting Strictly has been an absolute dream. We were always going to leave together and now feels like the right time.

“We will have the greatest rest of this amazing series and we just want to say an enormous thank you to the BBC and to every single person who works on the show,” adding: “They’re the most brilliant team and we’ll miss them every day. We will cry when we say the last “keep dancing” but we will continue to say it to each other. Just possibly in tracksuit bottoms at home while holding some pizza.”

Netflix drama Adolescence was the big winner at the Bafta Television Awards on Sunday.

At 16, Owen Cooper became the youngest ever winner of the award for best supporting actor for Adolescence.

Stephen Graham was named best leading actor for playing Cooper’s on-screen dad, and, in his speech, he encouraged young viewers to believe they could follow a similar path in acting.

Narges Rashidi won best leading actress for playing Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe in BBC One’s real-life drama Prisoner 951 and dedicated the award to the British-Iranian woman and her family.

The Celebrity Traitors won best reality programme, and host Claudia Winkleman dedicated it to the show’s “extraordinary cast who played with dignity, gusto and their entire hearts and we love them”.

The Swedish flatpack furniture giant has urged its customers to cease using this everyday product immediatley

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Furniture giant IKEA has issued an urgent recall for a household product used everyday in homes around the world. The international furniture brand has recalled a popular Ikea-branded garlic press, amid fears small metal fragments could break off into people’s food and be swallowed accidentally. The recall affects certain batches of the IKEA 365+ VÄRDEFULL Garlic press in black after the company discovered a manufacturing defect during an internal investigation. According to IKEA, there is a risk that “small metal pieces” may detach from the kitchen tool during use and subsequently be ingested with food, posing a potential safety hazard to customers.

The affected garlic presses were sold worldwide, both in store and online, and carry the article number 601.636.02. The kitchen implement also can be identified via date stamps found on the product. Date stamps include 2411 up to 2522 (see below for how to decode IKEA date stamps). The offending presses can also be identified by an IKEA logo marking on the upper handle. Customers who own one of the recalled products have been urged to stop using it immediately and contact IKEA for a full refund, the retailer advised in a statement, before adding that shoppers will not need to provide a receipt or proof of purchase in order to get their money back. A statement on the Swedish furniture house’s website also urged any customers who may have loaned or gifted the item to spread the world.

In a statement, IKEA – best known for its penchant for Allen keys and ready-to-assemble furniture – apologised for the inconvenience caused by the recall. As well as the shedding garlic press, the Swedish furniture brand has issued a litany of other recalls in recent months. Other recalled items include:

• Spatula (365+ HJÄLTE): Date stamp 2445 (YYWW) or later is recalled.
• Power Bank (VARMFRONT): Date stamps 2313, 2316, 2318, or 2319 are recalled due to fire hazards.
• ÅSKSTORM 40W USB charger dark grey: Article number 60461197 is recalled
• Mirrors (LETTAN): Affected date stamps before and including 2105.
• ROSTAD LÖK: Fried onion, 100g, Article number: 302.371.76 Best Before Date: 02-06-2026 – 22-11-2026
• BLÅVINGAD fishing game, multicolour: All iterations of this children’s toy should be returned to IKEA following reports of small metal rivets coming loose from the painted wooden shapes, presenting a potential choking hazard.

Product date stamps:

IKEA date stamps run off a Year-Week format. For example: 2411 would mean 2024, week 11.

• Garlic Press: Stamped on the black plastic handle.
• Furniture/Other: Usually a 4-digit number on a sticker, often found underneath or on the back of the item.

If you are impacted by any of the aforementioned recalls, more information is available via the IKEA website.

A report says Britain is expected to lose 163,000 jobs this year amid the economic woes caused by the Iran war

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Jobs in south Wales will be among the worst affected as a result of the conflict in Iran, a report has warned.

Britain is expected to lose 163,000 jobs this year amid the economic woes caused by the Iran war with lower income regions set to be hit hardest, the report states.

The Item Club’s latest regional outlook warns that two of the UK’s lowest income regions – south Wales and the Humber – will suffer the most painful jobs market woes in the next year or so because of sharp energy price rises.

They are heavily reliant on manufacturing and construction industries, which Item Club cautions will shed jobs in response to higher costs and supply disruption from the Middle East conflict.

The report is predicting jobs to drop by 5,700 in South Wales and by 2,800 in the Humber over 2026.

Tim Lyne, economic adviser to the Item Club, said: “Some of the lowest income regions will feel the biggest effects of the manufacturing and construction sectors reducing headcount in the face of rising energy prices and supply chain disruption.

“While consumers in these areas typically have less rainy-day savings, which will reduce spending in the retail and hospitality sectors.”

Overall it forecasts UK employment will decline by 0.4% this year, equivalent to 163,000 job losses on a net basis.

This will be driven by a pull back in consumer spending, the soaring cost of fuel, energy, materials and ingredients, as well as disruption to shipping.

The Bank of England warned late last month the rate of UK unemployment could hit 5.6% this year, up from 5.2% currently, in its more gloomy scenario for the impact of the war.

The Item Club said as households rein in discretionary spending in the face of a surge in the cost of living, the retail and hospitality sector will suffer the biggest slowdown across Britain’s major cities.

The independent forecasting group predicts that employment in London will drop by 25,000 this year as its retail and hospitality sector slows, with a 12,500 reduction in Birmingham, 9,800 drop in Leeds and 6,200 decline in Glasgow.

There may be some bright spots, however, with Cambridge set to see employment growth in 2026, while Belfast and Edinburgh are expected to see relatively limited job losses.

Mr Lyne said: “Across the UK, the jobs market is going to soften, but it’s looking especially fragile in South Wales and the Humber as they’re particularly exposed to manufacturing businesses that are seeing big increases in their costs of materials.

“Resilience will come in places like Cambridge where the tech sector is based.” For the biggest stories in Wales first sign up to our daily newsletter here

The report said that while publicly-funded sectors – such as education, public administration and human health and social work – are expected to hire more jobs over the year, this will not be enough to offset wider losses.

It also warns over a widening gap in living standards across the UK caused by the Iran war.

Low income areas will see households suffer the steepest hikes in the cost of living, as more of their spending goes on essentials, such as food, fuel and energy bills, which are set to see big price rises.

Households in cities such as Newcastle, Belfast and Birmingham spend as much as 13% of their disposable income on energy and food, compared to less than 9% for an average household in London, according to the report.

This could see these cities left particularly exposed if the Iran war is not resolved soon, the Item Club said.

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A trip to the park is a family favourite activity so here are some of the best parks in Cambridgeshire to visit this summer

Taking a trip to the park is a popular way to keep children busy throughout the spring and summertime. It can also be incredibly cheap thanks to green spaces being free and available to everyone, leaving some extra money for a treat during the day.

Cambridgeshire has a range of parks to explore with playgrounds and other activities for kids to get involved in. No matter where you are in the county, you will be able to find somewhere to enjoy some sunny weather while your children go off and play.

If you are new to the area or want to visit a different park from your usual choice, you might want to check out one of these popular choices . CambridgeshireLive asked its readers to tell us which parks in Cambridgeshire are the best and here are the three that came out on top.

3. Great Shelford Recreation Ground

Location: Woollards Ln, Great Shelford, Cambridge CB22 5LZ

The recreation ground in Great Shelford managed to get third place in our poll. The commuter village is hugely popular with families and is often regarded as one of the best places to live in Cambridgeshire thanks to its local facilities, including the park.

The ‘Playscape’ can be found on the recreation ground and has been “designed to be inspiring and inclusive for all”. The playground features a range of things for children to explore such as swings, a sandpit, towers, and an accessible trampoline.

2. Milton Country Park

Location: Cambridge Road Industrial Estate, Cambridge Rd, Milton, Cambridge CB24 6AZ

Found at the back of an industrial estate in Milton, this country park is a popular place to take dogs for a long weekend walk. However, Milton Country Park also has lots of other activities to get involved in like an outdoor play area, cycle paths, and even laser tag.

Thanks to the large lakes found in the park, the area is a good spot for water sports with lots of classes available to book from paddle boarding to canoeing. The Grounds Café is right next to one of the lakes and offers families a place to enjoy a hot drink and a piece of homemade cake.

1. Nene Park

Location: Ferry Meadows in Nene Park, Peterborough PE2 5UU

For anyone who has been to Nene Park in Peterborough, it is probably unsurprising that it has topped our poll. It is easy to visit Nene Park multiple times and do completely different activities each time.

Ferry Meadows, which can be found at the heart of the park, has three playgrounds for children of all different ages, a visitor centre with a gift and farm shop, and café that over looks Overton Lake. The park also has a mobile climbing wall, boat trips, and lots of water activities you can book before your trip.

The proposal relates to 172–174 Crook Street, a three-storey property formerly known as the Church Hotel.

The ground floor is currently occupied by Baba Jee’s restaurant which is temporarily closed, with office space above.

Developers are seeking prior approval from Bolton Council to convert the first and second floors into eight self-contained flats, with four units on each floor.

The ground floor restaurant would remain unchanged.

Proposed layouts of the flats (Image: Bolton Council)

Planning documents state the scheme would create four flats on each of the upper floors, with bin and cycle storage provided at the rear.

No external alterations to the building are proposed.

The site sits just outside Bolton town centre in a mixed-use area close to the main transport interchange.

Applicants say the location is sustainable and well connected, with seven parking spaces included in the plans.

A previous proposal to turn the upper floors into an 18-bedroom house in multiple occupation (HMO) was refused in November 2025.

In the supporting statement, the applicant argues the development meets national permitted development rules and would provide acceptable living conditions, including adequate natural light and protection from noise.

The building is not listed and is not within a conservation area or flood risk zone, according to the application.

Bolton Council will now assess the plans, with residents able to comment before a decision is made.

The Monday letters page encourages Capcom to make more Resident Evil DLC, as a reader reports back on the Mortal Kombat 2 movie.

Games Inbox is a collection of our readers’ letters, comments, and opinions. To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@metro.co.uk

Zero planning
PlayStation 6 can be delayed forever as far as I’m concerned. I’m a fairly keen gamer and I can tell you the last thing I’m going to spend money on at the moment is £500+ for a new console that doesn’t need to exist. I cannot believe I’m the only person in a similar situation and yet apparently they’re going ahead with it all anyway.

I would be very interested to hear from anyone who is definitely planning to get one and are you saving up for one already? I know it might get delayed now but the original plan seems to have been that it’ll be out next year, so surely people weren’t going to pay for that out of pocket? You’d have to be preparing for it.

Well, I can say that I am definitely not doing that. Hell, I’m having to save up for GTA 6, because I want that day one and we still don’t know how much it’ll cost (although hopefully we’ll get pre-orders this month).
Goliath

DLC forever
I definitely would’ve preferred The Mercenaries but I’m having a lot of fun with Leon Must Die Forever mode right now, in Resident Evil Requiem. I can imagine that was the quickest one to make, so that’s why it’s coming out first, and the menu option definitely gives away that there’s going to be more of them.

I like this idea of keeping single-player games going through a constant stream of DLC, especially relatively short ones like Requiem. If I were them, I’d add things to lead into Resident Evil 10 as well, like The Witcher 3 is apparently doing.

They sort of did this with Resident Evil 2, by adding the Nemesis noises outside the police station, in the build up to Resident Evil 3, but that was pretty subtle. I don’t know if anything can connect Requiem to Code: Veronica or Zero but that would be neat too, especially as those two games got sidelined pretty quick the first time round. How about adding Billy Cohen into Requiem?
Orkey

Changing the schedules
Great to see Pokémon Pokopia selling so well. A 4:1 attach rate for a game after just a few weeks is incredible and shows just how popular it is. The fact that Donkey Kong Bananza is only a little bit more, despite being nearly a year old now, also says a lot about how that game has only been an average hit.

I think it’s a good game, but I’d be interested to know why it wasn’t a bigger success, or at least why Nintendo thinks it wasn’t. I think the most likely option is just that it came out too soon after launch and people have only got so much money.

I wonder if Metroid Prime 4 had come out in July and Donkey Kong in November or December, if that would’ve turned things around a bit. That way Metroid’s failure wouldn’t have mattered, Nintendo would’ve had a proper Christmas game, and Bananza would’ve had quite a bit of space between it and Mario Kart. It could’ve made quite a bit of difference, I think.
Tacle

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The old guard
Full salute to Takashi Tezuka on his retirement from Nintendo, it’s clearly very well deserved. Nintendo may not be on a high at the moment, but I think one they’ve always done very well is train up a new generation for when the old legends are gone. I don’t think Miyamoto has made a game properly himself since the first Pikimin and Tezuka and a bunch of others are in the same position.

Despite the iconic legacy of these people, they’ve been making efforts to make sure they’re not indispensable for decades now, which is very encouraging.

This strikes me as being the exact opposite of all these American companies laying off hundreds of developers at a time, wiping out all this ‘institutional knowledge’ and making anyone that’s left fearful and resentful. I bet Mario and Zelda will still be great in another 30 years, I wouldn’t bet that about any Western franchise.
Holbert

May the Schwarz be with you
As an aside to the Star Fox reveal on Switch 2, am I the only one whose ears pricked up at 10.34 to 10.47 (on the official UK Nintendo YouTube vid, immediately after the presenter’s finger click)? It sounded very much like the start of the OG Star Wars film at the end of the credit crawl, just before the ships come into frame.

The visuals even have the panning down to the planet straight after, I was half expecting a Star Destroyer to come into view.
TheTruthSoul (PSN ID)

GC: The whole of the Star Fox series is heavily influenced by Star Wars and whatever other sci-fi films happened to be contemporary at the time. Star Fox 64, for example, has a level very obviously inspired by Independence Day.

Men in black
An interesting look at the way games publishers are talking about AI at the moment. The idea that they have to pretend they’re using it more than they are to investors, but less than they are to fans, almost makes me sympathetic towards faceless execs.

The examples the Sony guy gives all sound perfectly reasonable, but I’ve heard Epic Games saying that AI is only there to help developers and not replace them. Except they’ve laid off nearly 2,000 people in the last couple of years so that obviously doesn’t track.

For me, the Project Helix reveal is going to be the testing point for AI in gaming. If Microsoft go all in on some sort of DLSS 5 focused slop factory, as they clearly wanted to originally, then that is going to open the door for this to problem to rumble on for years.

If it’s just a bunch of buzzwords and stuff like making hair easy to animate though, then we could be looking at another victory over the men in suits, to add up alongside lootboxes and NFTs. Generative AI in games isn’t any more inevitable than those other things and I feel like the tide is already turning in our favour.

It seems ridiculous that we’ve constantly go to hope that companies won’t shoot themselves in the foot like this, but this is a tale as old as gaming, unfortunately. And when they give up on AI it’ll be some new scam after that too.
Ashton Marley

Flawless victory
RE: Mortal Kombat 2 film. I just watched it and I absolutely loved it. I honestly haven’t enjoyed a film that much at the cinema in years. Everyone gets their time to shine, Shao Khan is an absolute beast, really great fight scenes, lots of nods to the games and a bit of nostalgia right at the end.

Absolutely brilliant and highly recommended. It won’t win any Oscar but it’s just a fun film.
Simon

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Pragmatic response
Excellent review of Pragmata, which I did not expect to be a nine out of 10 game. When GC said no bugs were found, I did have a starting problem when, after buying Pragmata off the PS Store and downloading it, the game, after getting through the initial set-up, the game failed to load during the second bottom right loading icon and the PlayStation 5 error code appeared.

So, I checked Google for a fix and after a few system setting changes and cache/rebuilding databases, etc. it worked. Never seen that happening before, something about a handshake operation or something to initiate the starting process.

Either way, the game definitely is a clean and well-made experience, with the crisp graphical effects and the overall smoothness of animation in general. The music blends into the gameplay and background without being memorable overall in any way, but just what it’s supposed to do.

Gameplay-wise is where it counts though and here it does the business spot on, with the two characters interacting with each other, reminding me of Midna and Link in Zelda: Twilight Princess.

The mechanics and controls of the on-screen action are near perfect, with a great emphasis on style, fluidity and innovation. I was going to ultimately give this game a play check with streamers or content creators, but hung back and just trusted less of an investigation and went for it.

The length of the game being of average was also within the time I could spare, without having to worry about exploration and just following a more linear path and story.

Overall, a very well-produced game, which hits most things a gamer wants for a modern day experience, bringing out a vibrant graphical world with near perfect gameplay mechanics. Definitely well recommend and, for me, one of the surprising moments of this year so far, as I just never thought Pragmata would go all the way to being a modern classic. GG to Capcom and the RE Engine in general.
Alucard

Inbox also-rans
Although I admit a Zelda: Ocarina Of Time remake does seem likely we are all going to be so gutted if it’s not true. Nintendo aren’t exactly one to do the obvious thing, after all.
Focus

Just your monthly reminder that Atlus still hasn’t announced Persona 6 and we have absolutely no idea, not even a rumour, of when they will.
Paraninja

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The small print
New Inbox updates appear every weekday morning, with special Hot Topic Inboxes at the weekend. Readers’ letters are used on merit and may be edited for length and content.

You can also submit your own 500 to 600-word Reader’s Feature at any time via email or our Submit Stuff page, which if used will be shown in the next available weekend slot.

You can also leave your comments below and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter.

MORE: Games Inbox: Would you pay over £80 for GTA 6?

MORE: Games Inbox: Is the Zelda: Ocarina Of Time remake rumour true?

MORE: Games Inbox: Is Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag Resynced going to be worth getting?

The incident took place overnight at The Footballers Bar at Crook Town AFC on Friday (May 8), where intruders forced entry, stealing cash and alcohol and leaving behind extensive damage.

As well as gaining access to the building, those responsible caused “severe damage to the interior of the clubhouse and till.”

In a statement shared online on Saturday, the club said: “Last night, The Footballers Bar was broken into with cash and alcohol being stolen, as well as damage caused by entry and severe damage to the interior of the clubhouse and till.”

Crook Town AFC (Image: CROOK TOWN AFC)

CCTV images of the suspected intruders have been captured and passed to police, who are now investigating.

The club has urged anyone with information, “however small”, to come forward to assist officers with their enquiries.

Crook Town AFC highlighted the vital role the clubhouse plays within the local area, describing it as a hub not just for football, but for life’s most important moments.

“Our clubhouse is well used on match days but also for our town’s birthdays, christenings and wakes, as well as local companies to aid our community’s learning,” the club said.

The venue also serves as a crucial support space during the winter months, offering warmth and companionship to elderly residents.

Crook Town AFC has included CCTV images in its post below:

“We also use it as a warm space in the winter to help the local elderly,” the statement added.

“So to have someone undo all our brilliant work, all done by volunteers, is utterly heartbreaking.”

The club says it works tirelessly to provide facilities the town can be proud of, making the incident all the more painful.

“We work hard to give you all a ground and its facilities, to be proud of,” the statement continued.

“For this to happen just breaks the soul and uses cash to remedy that could be used elsewhere when money is so tight for us all already.”

Despite the setback, Crook Town AFC has been buoyed by messages of support and is now focusing on helping police identify those responsible.

“Anyone who may have information, however small, that you think can help us, please come forward,” the club said.

Police enquiries remain ongoing.

Writing for Belfast Live, Professor Stephen Farry explains the implications of Stormont having no agreed budget

Setting a budget is the most fundamental duty of any government. We are now over a month into the current financial year, and we continue to await Executive agreement on a budget.

It remains unclear if and when Northern Ireland will see a budget, and further if that budget will be multi-year or single-year. The legal backstop measure of the Permanent Secretary in the Department of Finance authorising expenditure at 95 per cent of last year’s allocations has already been put in place.

The backdrop to this budget impasse is deep financial crisis. Public services in NI are not sustainable under their current guise and configuration, bearing considerable opportunity costs.

The pattern of recurring overspends over the past four financial years, which have been addressed by short-term interventions, such as better than expected Barnett Consequentials or the reserve claim from Treasury, are testament to this situation. Further overspends are already projected for the current financial year.

Indeed, there is a danger that not agreeing a budget becomes a politically easier outcome than the difficult decisions and compromises in reaching formal agreement on allocations over one or more years.

Continued delay or even failure to agree entails negative consequences for Departments, alongside Arms-Length Bodies and the community and voluntary sectors, which deliver crucial services for government.

The outcome of the multi-year UK Spending Review has been in place since June 2025. This provides the Executive with the opportunity to put in place NI’s first multi-year budget since the 2011-2014 period. Prior opportunities for such a multi-year budget were hampered by the absence of working institutions.

There is, of course, a process for the Department of Finance to undertake with the NI Departments to shape local draft proposals. Further, the relatively late UK Budget last autumn, with the potential to alter allocations on the margins, created further uncertainty.

However, both Scotland and Wales did announce their budgets for 2026-2027 in January this year. In one respect, it is easier for NI to introduce and sustain a multi-year budget, notwithstanding the missed opportunities in the recent past. Whilst Scotland and Wales are engaged in elections with uncertainty as to the make-up of the incoming administrations, given our particular system of government, there is a considerable consistency of parties in power.

For reference, in early 2011, the outgoing Executive agreed the 2011-2014 multi-year budget even though all of those relevant financial years would fall into the subsequent mandate.

Whilst a multi-year budget doesn’t in itself place more resources on the table, it would allow a more strategic approach to spending, enable renewed investment and reform, address market failures, and safeguard future outcomes.

However, merely agreement of a multi-year budget that is just a set of numbers does not in itself equate to a strategic outcome. That comes from a clear focus upon transformation and alignment of resources in line with a Programme for Government.

Further, it is worth noting that there is an ongoing misalignment between the timing of opportunities for multi-year budgets and the agreement of Programmes for Government.

This could be improved if the Executive returned to an outcomes-based framework and put in place a rolling and evolving programme, which on paper could be much easier to maintain given the consistency of parties in power.

Yet the delay regarding agreement on any budget brings many immediate challenges. When Departments and Arms Length Bodies cannot adequately plan ahead, this brings uncertainty on workforce plans and service delivery, and even entails some staff being placed on protective notice in the community and voluntary sector.

Where savings and efficiencies do need to be made by Departments to remain within budget allocations, it is challenging enough to make and implement those measures over a 12- month horizon, never mind a reduced 11-month window or less.

Without agreement on a budget or agreement on a budget where it is commonly recognised that the budget would be broken by significant overspends by many departments, NI would limp to the next Assembly Election with greater chaos and distance from a strategic approach that is ultimately required for financial sustainability and better outcomes.

The hope may be for a further Treasury response. Notwithstanding the moral hazard, this is unlikely in the current UK fiscal context. This begs the question as to what the UK Government would do in response to overspends and the scale of negative impact from this short-termism.

Stephen Farry is a Professor of Strategic Policy in Practice at Ulster University.

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