Reports that Downing Street's Chief of Staff Sue Gray has caused division in the UK government over support for the redevelopment of Casement Park are "complete nonsense", British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said.
The derelict west Belfast ground has been earmarked to host five matches in Euro 2028, being jointly hosted by the UK and Ireland.
However, the funding required to rebuild the stadium in time for the showpiece football tournament is not in place, prompting concerns that the delays will see Belfast missing out.
There has also been mounting speculation that the long-delayed redevelopment of the GAA stadium would not be completed in time for the Euros.
It has been reported that Ms Gray has expressed support for financing the £300 million project, with the Downing Street Chief of Staff being accused of subverting cabinet ministers in the talks.
DUP MP Sammy Wilson is among those who have raised concerns over the alleged role of Ms Gray in the negotiations.
Asked whether her involvement had caused divisions at Cabinet, Keir Starmer told reporters: "That's complete nonsense, I hope that's clear enough."
Mr Starmer said "obvious issues" around timing and the cost of developing the stadium are being considered carefully.
"The decision is a political decision. The key challenges at the moment, I think, are well known, particularly in Northern Ireland, which is the timing in relation to the Euros and the cost."
Speaking to reporters during a visit to Belfast, he said: "Obviously there's a joint venture, the UK and Ireland together in relation to the Euros.
"We want football played everywhere in support of those Euros. Casement Park, obviously, is important in that respect."
He added: "In due course, we'll be able to say more."
Costs for the long-delayed Casement project have spiralled, with reports suggesting the projected costs have soared beyond €300 million.
In 2011, the Stormont executive committed €62.5 million to the project.
Earlier this year, the GAA sporting body said it will contribute €15 million.
The Irish Government has offered roughly €42 million towards the project and indicated it may be open to spending more.
NI violence 'intolerable' and 'clearly racist' - Starmer
During his visit to Belfast, Mr Starmer personally thanked police officers - injured during recent disorder in Northern Ireland - for their service.
He also met representatives from minority ethnic communities who had been targeted in violence in which a number of businesses were destroyed and a mosque attacked.
At least 20 police officers were injured in a spate of incidents earlier this month, after anti-immigration protests.
Police Service of Northern Ireland Chief Constable Jon Boutcher said some of the officers are due to undergo surgery, and that he expects them to be OK, but the "nature of what they faced, even for some of those seasoned officers, has taken them aback".
He said there had been some "really near misses to very serious injuries".
Mr Starmer said that it had been "quite an intense few weeks" and referred to "some long days".
With police numbers in Northern Ireland about 1,000 below the recommended strength, around 80 officers from Police Scotland have been assisting the PSNI.
Mr Boutcher told Mr Starmer that they had been a "breath of fresh air", had "fitted in really well with our staff" and "understood the importance of it".
The UK prime minister then met injured police officers, including Constable Josh Elliott, discussing with him how the community had "rallied round each other", adding: "That's the real Northern Ireland."
He later held talks leaders from a number of organisations which represent the minority ethnic community in Northern Ireland.
Among them was Nisha Tandon, founder and director of ArtsEkta, which runs Belfast Mela, a community festival celebrating diversity.
She said the meeting had been very positive, and she was delighted to have had the opportunity to speak to Mr Starmer.
"It was more engagement than a lot of us have had with Stormont politicians and we very much welcomed it, he seemed to be in listening mode as we spoke to him," she said.
"It was good to get that opportunity."
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Mr Starmer said - at the end of his visit - that one of his purposes had been to thank those police officers who had been on the front line and meet communities most affected by the disorder.
"My purpose was to say to them thank you for what they have done. We make big asks of the police officers, they step up and they deserve our thanks," he said.
"I have also had the chance to speak to the PSNI senior leadership, and third, and very importantly, to speak to some of the communities most impacted about the fear, the anxiety that they have about the recent disorder.
"The disorder is intolerable. It is incapable of justification. It's clearly racist and it does not represent the modern forward-looking Northern Ireland that I know that this place is.
"I do think it's very important to come and say thank you, very important for the prime minister to come here to talk to the frontline officers face to face and humbly say thank you for what they and their colleagues have done."
