Baroness Sue Gray has expressed fears about the future of the devolved government at Stormont and called for closer collaboration between London and the regions during an event in Belfast on Thursday.

Reflecting on her previous role as permanent secretary at Stormont’s Department of Finance, the Labour peer said devolved administrations should be involved in policy discussions from the outset rather than being notified of decisions after they are made. She recalled receiving phone calls only on the morning new policies and funding were announced, losing the opportunity for earlier input.

Gray proposed introducing metro mayors in Belfast and Londonderry to give city authorities more decision-making power. She also endorsed a reported plan by Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham to relocate part of the Downing Street operation to the north of England, arguing that moving functions outside London would send a powerful signal about the distribution of government.

Gray, a former senior civil servant who subsequently served as Sir Keir Starmer’s chief of staff, was speaking at an event organised by the SDLP that examined British-Irish relations and the prospect of constitutional change. Her intervention comes amid continuing political uncertainty at Stormont.