Stormont ministers to discuss finances with Rachel Reeves

“The Labour government should not be trying to balance the books on the backs of pensioners, on the backs of hard-working people,” Little-Pengelly said.

The deputy first minister also insisted that the delegation was “not going to the government with a begging bowl”.

Instead, she said ministers would be asking the chancellor to “step up and support us” in their efforts to reform and improve Northern Ireland’s public services.

“We’re going with plans, we’re going with proposals in terms of the sustainability of our budget; in terms of looking at sensible decisions – the things that we need to do in Northern Ireland,” she explained.

“But of course in order to have that transformation you need to invest. You need to be able to give us what is required to run adequate public services.”