Brown pledges €75bn North power-sharing ‘sweetener’

NORTHERN leaders were last night promised a multi-billion euro “sweetener” if they signed on for power-sharing.

British Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown made the pledge after DUP and Sinn Féin leaders put on a united front with centre-ground parties to demand a “peace dividend” from British taxpayers to fund massive investment in infrastructure and enterprise.

After meeting the all-party delegation in Downing Street, Mr Brown, who is likely to become prime minister when Tony Blair stands down next year, outlined a package for the North worth around €75 billion. This included an increase in planned spending over the next four years of more than €4bn and support for a €26bn capital investment strategy until 2017.