Sandra Overend

Northern Ireland’s Universities are hooked on high-fee overseas students to survive Ulster Unionist Deputy Leader and Economy spokesperson Diana Armstrong MLA has raised concerns about the long term structural sustainability of higher education in Northern Ireland, with Northern Ireland’s universities hooked on high-fee students to survive, and the numbers prove it. Assembly figures show non-domestic student numbers nearly doubled from 10,340 in 2019/20 to 18,985 in 2023/24, with non-EU students alone surging from 4,380 to 12,520. This follows news yesterday that Ulster University is considering cutting up to 450 jobs. Diana Armstrong MLA said: “These figures expose the reality of higher education in Northern Ireland; a dependency on students from GB and overseas, who in many cases pay thousands if not tens of thousands more in tuition fees than our own NI students, simply to keep our universities financially afloat. Universities should be institutions of education, not profit-driven enterprises, and when a university feels job cuts of this scale become necessary, it is a clear signal that something is fundamentally broken in how we fund higher education. “We still have large numbers of Northern Ireland students choosing to study in Great Britain and not returning, yet we are filling our universities with international students who are equally unlikely to remain here after graduation. That is not a sustainable model for building our economy or our workforce, and fundamentally it’s time we had a serious conversation about how we attract and retain our own talent and ensure our universities are serving the long term needs of Northern Ireland. “The maximum student number cap is simply constraining our universities from growing their domestic intake and generating sustainable income. It’s also stopping a generation of engineers, doctors, nurses, vets, and teachers who are all in high demand from completing their education here at home. The Economy Minister cannot continue to ignore these warning signs. It is time for a genuine and sustainable strategy that puts students, staff, and the needs of our economy first.”

👏👏👏Great speeches from @JonBurrowsMLA & @Diana_uup at our packed @uuponline AGM. There is a reason Jon is now acknowledged leader of Unionism - we need to move on from the very tired messages and incompetence from DUP, TUV and Alliance, we are the Party to do that👏👏👏

A reasonable audit of what the British farmer is actually doing, measured against what he is currently being accused of. What he is doing: - Up at 5am. Earlier in lambing. Finished at 9pm last night. Doesn't consider this notable. - Producing 60% of the food eaten in the UK. - On a land area smaller than Oregon. - Maintaining 400,000 miles of hedgerow. - Several hundred thousand miles of stone wall. - The entire drainage infrastructure of the lowlands. - Every postcard the country has ever printed. - Sequestering carbon into the soil beneath his livestock at rates that offset a significant fraction of his sector's emissions. Not widely discussed. - Feeding, clothing and tanning a population that has mostly forgotten where any of this comes from. - Lambing in March at his own expense. - Calving in April on no sleep. - Silage in June on three hours a night. - Harvest in August. - Ploughing in October. - Feeding stock through January in conditions any urban professional would call a humanitarian emergency. - Watching his son decide whether to take over the farm, knowing what the answer is likely to be. - Earning less per hour than the barista who served the coffee to the journalist writing the article about him. What he is not doing: - Destroying the ozone layer. Hasn't been near it. - Flying almonds in from California. - Clearing the Amazon. - Running a data centre. - Operating a private jet. - Producing microplastics. - Failing to recycle his packaging. He hasn't got any. - Causing the climate crisis. The climate crisis is two hundred years of industrial activity he wasn't around for. - Lobbying Parliament. Can't afford it. He's in a field. - Complaining about any of this. He hasn't got the time. The audit concludes. The defendant is out feeding the cattle. He'll be back for supper if the tractor holds up.

Happy birthday, Louis! 8 today! 🎈

It was fantastic to support World Curlew Day in Parliament earlier this week and to meet ‘Cathy the Curlew’! Very pleased to give my support to the UK Curlew Action Plan.

The Westminster Ulster Unionist Association was pleased to welcome Party Leader @JonBurrowsMLA to their meeting in the Houses of Parliament last night. The Leader shared his vision for the @uuponline and what work needs to be done to make it a reality.

Party Leader Jon Burrows MLA met with Conservative Party Leader Kemi Badenoch and her Westminster team today, alongside our Westminster representatives Robin Swann MP, Lord Elliott, Lord Empey and Lord Rogan. Jon outlined his vision for a more prosperous Northern Ireland, urging the Official Opposition to support a VAT cut for the hospitality and tourism sectors, take decisive action on the Irish Sea border, and ensure fairness in legacy matters for veterans and former RUC officers, including backing amendments proposed by Unionist parties. The Ulster Unionist Party will continue to make the case for Northern Ireland at every level.

Been there, didn’t try it myself, but what a great story! - Teen scoops hole-in-one jackpot on gap year break bbc.co.uk/news/articles/…

Justice upheld as Court slams vexatious appeal over SAS killing of armed IRA unit in Coagh Ulster Unionist Justice spokesperson Doug Beattie MC MLA has welcomed the rejection of an appeal challenging the killing of Provisional IRA member Tony Doris during the SAS ambush at Coagh, Co Tyrone in June 1991. The court reaffirmed that soldiers acted lawfully when they intercepted and killed three members of a heavily armed active service unit who were on route to murder a part-time Ulster Defence Regiment soldier. Doug Beattie MC MLA commented: “On 3rd June 1991, a Provisional IRA active service unit was engaged by the SAS in Coagh, Co Tyrone. This heavily armed ASU were on their way to murder a part-time member of the Ulster Defence Regiment when they were engaged and stopped. During the engagement, three terrorists were killed, and two Romanian AKMs were recovered. “In 2024, an inquest ruled that the use of lethal force by the SAS was justified and therefore lawful. Yet, not satisfied with this judgement, an appeal was heard arguing the driver, Tony Doris, was killed due to the disproportionate use of lethal force. However, the judge was clear when summing up following the appeal. “The soldiers acted within the law, Tony Doris was part of an armed ASU which presented a collective threat, and it was absurd to try and distinguish the driver from the other terrorists. The reasonableness, or Bennett test, was not breached by the soldier who fired the fatal shots killing Doris. None of the grounds for the appeal were justified, and it was not a good use of public funds to bring this appeal forward. “In the end, it was always clear that the SAS were justified in using lethal force. This wider use of 'lawfare' in a vexatious attempt to undermine the action of the military, police, and other security services needs to stop. I am in no doubt this case will be brought before the courts again as the modus operandi we have become used to. “It's time we focused our efforts on tracking down those who sent these three men to their deaths. It is those who directed terrorism while safe from danger who we need to focus our attention on. The Labour Government has a choice; they either support the forces of law and order or they continue to facilitate this endless lawfare.”

.@JonBurrowsMLA is the most popular leader within unionism A tremendous achievement when only just in the job

Last night in Donaghadee was inspirational. A packed Community Centre listening to my party leader @JonBurrowsMLA outlining his vision for the political future of Northern Ireland.

@HenryBrothersHB #beltelawards

It’s buzzing at the @BelTel @BelTel_Business Awards tonight! Henry Brothers is short-listed for two awards 🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼💫

Máiría Cahill: Blaming the Brits for the troubles of west Belfast lets the IRA off the hook On Lola Petticrew... independent.ie/opinion/commen…

A clip for the week that was. On Thursday @bbctheview put it to me I ask too many Ministerial questions (245 since September 2025 they said). Asking questions of those in power is vital. Ps - it’s 274 now since September as I’m probing civil service accountability arrangements).

Thanks to @mikenesbittni and congratulations to @JonBurrowsMLA A very exciting time for the party 👇

Precious golden goodness for company, working from home today.

Business as usual on the farm this weekend 🚜 🇬🇧

Come along to:
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