East–West Council

British government forum

East–West CouncilFormation| 26 March 2024; 16 months ago (2024-03-26)

|

Legal status| Joint committee
Purpose| Intergovernmental relations

Region served

| United Kingdom
Membership| UK Government
Northern Ireland Executive

Chair:
Minister for Intergovernmental Relations

| Pat McFadden

Deputy Chair:
Northern Ireland Secretary

| Hilary Benn
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The East–West Council was established in 2024 as part of the Northern Ireland Executive reformation with a purpose to improve links between Northern Ireland and rest of the United Kingdom.[1]

## Purpose

[edit]

According to the Government of the United Kingdom its missions include:[2]

* Sharing "best practice" between Great Britain and Northern Ireland on economic inactivity and offering advisory support to implement "major projects"
* Recommending interventions on east–west investment and assessing existing funding and investment strategies
* Improving international investment to Northern Ireland
* Bolstering east–west connectivity

## History

[edit]

The idea of forming an East–West Council was first proposed by Democratic Unionist Party Leader Jeffrey Donaldson in October 2023 as a prerequisite to restoring a power-sharing executive in Northern Ireland. Donaldson hoped that the proposed body would "bring together representatives from across the United Kingdom", on a "regular basis" to "discuss and collaborate on opportunities for enhanced co-operation".[3] Plans for the council were outlined in a command paper published by the UK government in February 2024.[4] Devolved government was restored in Northern Ireland on 3 February 2024 when a first minister, deputy first minister and executive were nominated by the Northern Ireland Assembly. The East–West Council met for the first time on 26 March 2024 at Dover House in London.[2]

## Membership

[edit]

The council is made up of representatives from the UK central government, Northern Ireland Executive, business and civil society.[5] It was chaired by the Minister for Intergovernmental Relations.[6]

## Meetings

[edit]

Overview of East–West Council meetings  Date  | Chair  | Location

|
|

26 March 2024 | Michael Gove | Dover House,
London
12 June 2025 | Pat McFadden | Belfast

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Inaugural meeting of East–West Council". Gov.uk. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
2. ^ a b McCormack, Jayne; Hughes, Brendan (26 March 2024). "New UK East–West Council meets for the first time". BBC News Online. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
3. ^ "Sunak says east–west council proposed by DUP has 'considerable merit'". Evening Standard. 18 October 2023.
4. ^ "Safeguarding the Union (Command Paper CP 1021)" (PDF). Northern Ireland Office. January 2024.
5. ^ "First East–West Council meeting to take place by the end of March, says DUP". Belfast Telegraph. 28 February 2024. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
6. ^ "East–West Council set for inaugural meeting". ITV News. 26 March 2024.

## See also

[edit]

* Intergovernmental relations in the United Kingdom
* Intertrade UK
* Prime Minister and Heads of Devolved Governments Council
* British-Irish Council
* British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference
* British–Irish Parliamentary Assembly
* Council of the Nations and Regions
* Northern Ireland Assembly
* North/South Inter-Parliamentary Association
* North/South Ministerial Council

## External links

[edit]

* Safeguarding the Union command paper

* v
* t
* e

Northern Ireland Office

Headquarters: 1 Horse Guards Road, London and Erskine House, Belfast

Secretary of State|

* The Rt Hon. Hilary Benn MP

Minister of State|

* vacant

Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State|

* Fleur Anderson MP

Advocate General|

* The Rt Hon. The Lord Hermer PC KC

Non-departmental
public bodies|

* Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland
* Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission
* Parades Commission

Other bodies|

* East–West Council
* Intertrade UK

* v
* t
* e

Intergovernmental relations in the United Kingdom

Intergovernmental bodies|

* Prime Minister and Heads of Devolved Governments Council

Quasi-intergovernmental bodies|

* Council of the Nations and Regions
* East–West Council
* Islands Forum

Local government bodies|

* Local Government Leaders' Council
* Mayoral Council for England
* Partnership Council for Wales

Interparliamentary bodies|

* Inter-Parliamentary Forum

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