Government pledges £50m for Casement Park rebuild
The UK Government has allocated £50 million to support the redevelopment of Casement Park in west Belfast.
The money was included in the Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves' spending review, which outlines the Government's spending plans over the coming years.
Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O'Neill said it is now time to get the GAA stadium built.
Plans for a 34,000-capacity stadium have been mired in uncertainty because of a major funding gap of around £150 million.
The Government announcement includes £50 million to support the stadium being developed over four years.
Ms O'Neill said: 'Casement Park is an Executive flagship project and is more than just a sporting venue — it will serve as an economic driver for the surrounding communities and region, creating jobs and attracting investment.
'Today's commitment of substantial funding from the British Government marks an enormous step forward. It is time for all of us to pull together to now get Casement built.'
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Washington Post
42 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Trump miscalculated on China. Now the administration is trying to fix the mess.
President Donald Trump started his world wide trade war with what appeared to be a strong hand. China's economy, in particular, seemed vulnerable as it struggled through a real estate crisis and governmental mismanagement. Beijing would have to deal on terms favorable to the United States. U.S.-China trade talks this week, however, confirmed this was a miscalculation. Though Trump hailed the results of the summit, held in London, as a new trade deal, the terms largely echoed those of an earlier U.S.-China agreement in Geneva last month, the implementation of which China had slow-walked. Beijing's capacity to force economic pain on its people is hardly unlimited; popular outcry over strict pandemic-era restrictions eventually forced the government to relax them. But 'eventually' is the key word. Ending the suffering will now require serious dealing on both sides.
Yahoo
43 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump: I'm surprised Elon ever endorsed me
Credit: Fox News Donald Trump said he was 'amazed' that Elon Musk ever endorsed him because of his long-held commitment to demolishing the 'electric vehicle mandate'. The world's most powerful men entered a war of words trading insults from their respective social media platforms in an explosive row over Mr Trump's flagship spending bill. Mr Musk, who has since apologised for his insults, called for the president to be impeached and accused the president of being in the Epstein files. 'We're going to abolish the EV mandate, and Elon still endorsed me. Because, honestly, he never, ever spoke to me about that,' Mr Trump said as he signed a measure blocking California's first-in-the-nation rule banning the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035. 'And I used to say, 'I'm amazed that he's endorsing me, because that can't be good for him.' 'I once asked him about it. 'You never talked to me about that'. He said, 'Well, as long as it's happening to everybody, I'll be able to compete'. It's a very interesting answer.' 'Now we know why Elon doesn't like me so much,' Mr Trump joked. 'Which he does, actually, he does. And he never had a problem.' The bill signed by Mr Trump which Congress approved last month, aims to quash the country's most aggressive attempt to phase out gas-powered cars. It will also kill rules that phase out the sale of medium and heavy-duty diesel vehicles and cut tailpipe emissions from trucks. It is the latest in an ongoing battle between the Trump administration and Gavin Newsom, California's Governor, over everything from tariffs to the rights of LGBTQ+ youth and funding for electric vehicle chargers. The president and Mr Newsom have clashed over Mr Trump's move to deploy troops to Los Angeles in response to immigration protests. California, which has some of the nation's worst air pollution, has been able to seek waivers for decades from the Environmental Protection Agency, allowing it to adopt stricter emissions standards than the federal government. In his first term, Trump revoked California's ability to enforce its standards, but Joe Biden reinstated it in 2022. Mr Trump has not yet sought to revoke it again. 'He [Musk] said; 'as long as I'm on the same plan as everybody else, we're going to do good. We make a better product',' Mr Trump added. 'I said, 'That's very cool. That's very good'. That was my answer. After that, he got a little bit strange, but I don't know why.' Mr Musk apologised to Mr Trump after a phone call with JD Vance, the US vice-president, following their explosive fallout. The details of the truce between the two men emerged after Mr Musk said publicly on Wednesday that he 'regretted' writing inflammatory posts about the president on social media. In a podcast episode released the day after the feud erupted, Mr Vance said: 'I hope that eventually Elon comes back into the fold. Maybe that's not possible now because he's gone so nuclear – but I hope it is.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Yahoo
43 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Sudanese top illegal migrant detection chart
Sudanese nationals are now the most common illegal migrants detected in Britain within three days of evading border controls. Thousands of Sudanese have arrived via small boats over the last year, and are at times discovered at ports when boats are intercepted or lorries are found with migrants aboard. The latest Government data, however, shows them to be the top group not detected immediately on crossings, but within 72 hours of irregular entry. In the year to March, 21 per cent of those found within three days of crossing the border illegally were Sudanese. They were also among the top three nationalities arriving via small boats to the UK in the first quarter of the year. The data reflects the ongoing civil war in Sudan, which has created 14.3 million refugees, according to a new report by the UN refugee agency. Smugglers have lowered their prices for Channel crossings by boat for Sudanese nationals, as many cannot afford to pay the thousands of euros typically charged for such journeys. Bringing down prices is a response to the success that some Sudanese have had in sneaking onto boats intended for other migrants who have paid smugglers, or by jumping onto lorries and squeezing into the narrow space between the driver cabin and cargo bed. Whereas many small boat arrivals are intercepted, lorry crossings while hiding with the cargo are often not detected immediately. Munzir, a Sudanese refugee in Calais, told The Telegraph: 'When we find some people who bring the boat, we jump in. It's not easy for us to cross; sometimes the police will come and destroy your boat.' As the Sudan conflict enters a third year and a humanitarian crisis continues to unfold, refugees are likely to keep seeking ways to flee the country. 'The humanitarian conditions in Sudan continue to deteriorate, with the declared famine leading to acute malnutrition, starvation, and severe, widespread food insecurity,' according to the Soufan Center, a Washington DC-based think tank that focuses on security issues. Last year, they were the sixth-largest nationality arriving on boats, at a total of 2,695 people, representing a 63 per cent increase from the year prior. 'Sometimes you can negotiate with the smugglers,' said Munzir. 'We say, 'we don't have money', and sometimes they agree, because you see, if they don't agree and we start to fight each other, then the police will come.' In Calais, hundreds of Sudanese refugees take shelter in what many refer to as the 'hangar', a large abandoned storage facility. Charity groups deliver humanitarian aid around here each week, supplying people – many of whom are minors – with hot meals and medical care. In 2024, people from Sudan and Ukraine were the top two nationalities seeking asylum, with each group accounting for more than 870,000 applications. Flooding and heavy rains last summer further exacerbated the humanitarian crisis in Sudan, displacing 200,000 people. Chinese GB50A guided bombs and 155mm AH-4 howitzers, manufactured by Norinco, a Chinese state-owned corporation, have been used in Sudan, and were likely exported there by the UAE in violation of an arms embargo, finds Amnesty International. Three in five people in Sudan are in need of aid, amounting to more than 30 million people – the first time that a single country has hit such a high figure, according to an April report by a consortium of aid groups. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.