He was speaking at the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA’s) Business Leaders’Forum in Belfast, where he delivered an upbeat outlook on the opportunities within the Northern Ireland economy and outlined his priorities to support local businesses.

Talking about the resilience within the local economy with Northern Ireland being second most productive UK region for FDI behind London, Mr Brokenshire called on companies to continue to influence their political representatives on the importance that a functioning Assembly will have in achieving the objective of long term prosperity.

Speaking to the business audience, he said, “The overall picture in Northern Ireland is one of solid growth, increasing output, falling unemployment and job creation.  However Northern Ireland’s political parties need to hear from you, the heartbeat of the business community, on the importance of locally accountable representatives delivering on the needs of local people.”

Attending his first event since the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester, Mr Brokenshire reinforced the UK Government’s commitment to support Northern Ireland’s unique circumstances within the Brexit process, highlighting the progress that has been made on the Common Travel Agreement,citizenship and identity.

Clodagh Hegarty, Ulster Chair, ACCA added, “Our members are working with a broad range of businesses that operate across the island of Ireland and are helping them navigate changing and challenging market environments.  We welcome the commitments made by the Secretary of State and all stakeholders involved in this process to ease the burden on businesses and we look forward to creative solutions that support that process.