Northern Ireland to miss out on cost-of-living payment if Stormont fails to agree budget

Northern Ireland is set to miss out on a cost-of-living payment included in an additional £270 million (319 million) for the region unless Ministers at Stormont can agree a budget, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Chris Bryant has indicated. The parties in the Executive have all said they have been unable to agree a budget more than halfway through this financial year due to a lack of…