Chris Bryant, the new Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, has issued his first official statement since being appointed to the role and spent Tuesday engaging with political leaders.
"I am really pleased to be the new Secretary of State for Northern Ireland," Bryant said in a statement issued by the Northern Ireland Office on Tuesday, the day after he was appointed.
"It’s certainly daunting. It comes with heavy responsibility, and I am looking forward to getting properly stuck in."
He continued: “I want to be very clear from the outset: my door will be open to all parties and all communities. We are going to work together constructively to keep building a stable, prosperous future for everyone in Northern Ireland.
“Our focus is simple: maintaining political stability, promoting economic growth, and making sure devolved government delivers for people in their everyday lives.
"We need to make sure that every young person sees an economic opportunity for themselves in Northern Ireland, and for their family. There is serious work ahead, and I am ready to get on with it."
Bryant was formally appointed as the new Secretary of State for Northern Ireland by the new British Prime Minister Andy Burnham on Monday night.
Speaking separately with UTV on Tuesday, Bryant said: "I'm always going to make an argument for Northern Ireland."
"I follow in phenomenal footsteps. Hilary Benn was, is one of the most gentlemanly gentlemen that there's ever been in British politics, and I want to pay tribute to him, but I know precisely what he would say, which is, of course you always fight for the best possible deal for Northern Ireland, that's my job."
First Minister of Northern Ireland Michelle O'Neill and TD Mary Lou McDonald, the deputy leader and president of Sinn Féin respectively, were among the politicians to speak with Bryant on Tuesday.
“We stressed that the Labour government's approach must change," O'Neill said in a statement issued via Sinn Féin afterward.
"The Executive is not being funded fairly, which is devastating public services. Westminster is hampering the efforts of local Ministers to deliver our agenda. The cost-of-living pressures on workers and families and a budget that helps give relief must be prioritized."
She continued: “Sinn Féin recently published proposals on political reform to ensure the Executive can deliver now. This includes the devolution of fiscal powers which remain reserved by Westminster. 28 years on since the power-sharing was established, the Executive is hamstrung.
“I will work with others across the board to get a better deal for all our people, businesses and communities.”
Elsewhere, Gavin Robinson, head of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), said on social media that it was "good to talk" with Bryant and that they discussed the "need for UK Government support to reform public services, agree sustainable finances and ensure no barrier between Northern Ireland and Great Britain, including NI receiving VAT reduction on electricity."
Robinson added: "I welcome his commitment to NI and our place in the UK; and look forward to seeing him soon."
Robinson separately told reporters in East Belfast: “I think he’s been clear about his desire to see Northern Ireland’s position within the United Kingdom strengthened, that is a good thing, that is something that I welcome.
“But he will know, and if he doesn’t, he will quickly learn that there are some significant challenges that we need to deal with in Northern Ireland, including financial stability.”
On Monday, Jim Allister, head of the Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) party, said on social media: "As an EU fanatic I’d have little expectation of Chris Bryant standing up for NI against EU colonialism in this part of the U.K."
Bryant replied to Allister's post, saying: "Jim I look forward to working with you for a strong Northern Ireland in a strong United Kingdom."
Asked about Allister's post, Bryant said on Tuesday: "I think there's a really good opportunity here, which is Northern Ireland is both in the single market and in the United Kingdom.
"That gives it a real set of opportunities to be able to develop economic opportunity for people.
"I want every single young person to think this is the place where I can really make the best future for me and my family. Now, does that mean politicians wrangling all the time about this, that and the other, in particular about constitutional issues is going to sort that for people? I suspect not."
Meanwhile, in Ireland, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Helen McEntee extended her congratulations to Bryant, adding that she is looking forward to working closely together "including to implement the Joint Framework on Legacy."
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