Michael Gove: Every day I am seeing how Stormont is strengthening our links across the UK

The creation of the council will provide a new platform for cooperation across the UK to face up to shared challenges and opportunities. I am pleased we were able to discuss an initial work programme focusing on increasing trade, improving connectivity and on skills and culture.

The restoration of devolution has also allowed us to unlock new opportunities rapidly for Northern Ireland. In my own department, officials have been working closely with their counterparts to develop plans for a new Enhanced Investment Zone. Ministers endorsed those high level plans at the council and we can now crack on with creating a bespoke arrangement for Northern Ireland that will see £150m made available by the UK government in targeted tax cuts and investment.

The lack of devolved government and resulting budget crisis meant that the UK government sadly had to pause distributing our UK Shared Prosperity Fund investment here. But the council agreed on Tuesday to our proposals to restart funding projects, with over £17 million invested in numeracy skills for people here, and in support for smaller businesses that are the lifeblood of local communities, and want to expand their research and development work. The Economy Minister set out how he wants to back businesses and growth, and the Communities Minister underlined his commitment to local regeneration, including through maximising use of the UK government’s Community Ownership Fund.

Almost every day I see examples of how a restored executive and assembly are delivering progress and strengthening our links across the UK. The Interministerial Standing Committee I chair brings together all the leaders of devolved governments to discuss critical policy areas and legislation. Last October we discussed plans to protect our young people from the damages of smoking and how we needed a common approach to dangerous XL Bully dogs that were attacking people on our streets. But we could only do this on a Great Britain wide basis, with Northern Ireland being left behind and increasingly diverging from the rest of the UK across swathes of public policy.

Now the executive has returned, Robin Swann and his executive colleagues acted rapidly to include Northern Ireland in our UK wide legislation on smoking. Andrew Muir announced swift action to deliver equivalent protections in Northern Ireland on dangerous dogs. These are concrete legal changes that stop Northern Ireland diverging away from the rest of the UK, and will save lives.

We have seen pay deals for police officers and for teachers resolved – stopping the unfair situation where public sector workers in Northern fell behind their counterparts across the UK simply due to a lack of government here. There remain significant global economic challenges, but business confidence is improving, employment is at a post pandemic high and unemployment close to a record low. The executive has committed to a major investment in a shared education campus in Omagh and we have seen the case for business investment in Northern Ireland being made so effectively in the United States. We all have much more to do but this is an encouraging start.

At budget earlier this month, I was delighted the Chancellor announced the government will be committing £20million each for Long-Term Plans for Derry-Londonderry and Coleraine. And just last week, we announced almost £3 million of Community Ownership Fund support will save and restore eight treasured community assets in Northern Ireland for future generations, including a revamp of the Oh Yeah Music Centre in Belfast to deliver a new multifunctional creative space.

I know there are still some that want to go back to instability and divergence. The UK government is clear the only outcome that delivers a bright and prosperous future for the people of Northern Ireland is stable, devolved government working in the interests of everyone.

I am delighted the East-West Council is now up and running, announcing new initiatives and investments, and with plans in the future to drive forward work on everything from school twinning to transport connectivity and promoting trade opportunities.

I know I speak for everyone at the council meeting when I say we are committed to working constructively to achieve that success and I look forward to chairing the next meeting of the East-West Council in Northern Ireland before too long.

• Michael Gove is UK secretary of state for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and Minister for Intergovernmental Relations