'Party leader has given me no red lines' - new health minister Robbie Butler

Northern Ireland's new health minister has said his party leader has given him "no red lines" in the wake of a policy row that saw his predecessor quit.

Robbie Butler, who was appointed by Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) leader Jon Burrows on Thursday, said any decisions he makes will be based on "expert evidence opinion" as well as the "voices of the people".

His party colleague Mike Nesbitt resigned after a fall out with Burrows over withdrawing emergency general surgery services from Causeway Hospital.

Burrows had declared he would never support the withdrawal of the service during a public meeting, a view Nesbitt said he only discovered by "monitoring the media".

Speaking to BBC News NI, Butler said that he would work to convince people that "any changes that come, wherever that may be, is made in the best interests of the people".

"But the people need to also be at the centre of any decisions that are made," he added.

Butler said he felt there was a "disconnect" between the medical officials and the people who are going to be affected by changes to Causeway Hospital.

"What my job is at the moment is to try and repair that disconnect and then take my time not to make a hasty decision but to make the right decision, and that's my promise to the people of Causeway."

He said any changes or improvements "need to be sustainable and deliverable".

Butler highlighted the challenges he faces as he has "only got seven months" before the next assembly elections in May 2027 but there "will be no rushed decisions".

"It's really important that we get the confidence of the people because we have to move in step, if the step is required," he said.

In his resignation letter on Tuesday, Nesbitt said that when Burrows became party leader, he told him his "one 'red line'" was puberty blockers and his "opposition to Northern Ireland participating in the Pathways trial".

In a copy of the letter he sent to Burrows, posted on social media, Nesbitt said the party leader had now "introduced a second red line" regarding the EGS at Causeway Hospital, and that he only came to know this due to media reports.

He added: "Yesterday, I offered you a way to manage this situation. As I have not received a timely response and given the shock waves you have created in the HSC system, this matter needs resolved."

Last week Burrows, who is a North Antrim MLA, told a town hall meeting that he did not support emergency general surgery (EGS) being moved from Causeway Hospital.

The Northern Health Trust previously recommended that EGS should only be provided at one of its hospital sites and that the service should move to Antrim.

It is understood the Department of Health (DoH) was still waiting for a final recommendation to come from the minister.

Speaking on Wednesday, after the resignation, Burrows acknowledged the need for reform but said "how we deliver reform is every bit as important as what we ultimately decide".

He said "safe, sustainable services," are the priority and reform must also address "health inequalities and regional imbalance, and recognise that people in different parts of Northern Ireland do not currently enjoy equal access to timely healthcare".