Government has said it will honour resounding result despite ministerial doubts
MPs have voted resoundingly to extend same-sex marriage to Northern Ireland, a plan the government has said it will honour despite ministerial doubts.
The Commons voted 383 to 73 to pass the amendment to a largely technical bill on the stalled Northern Ireland assembly, tabled by the Labour MP Conor McGinn, a longstanding campaigner for equal marriage in Northern Ireland.
Continue reading...Prosecutors obtain warrant to arrest man over Denis Donaldson shooting in 2006
Irish authorities are preparing to charge a man for the murder of Denis Donaldson, a British spy within the IRA who was shot dead in 2006.
The news emerged on Wednesday when an Irish police officer told an inquest in Letterkenny, County Donegal, that prosecutors had obtained a warrant to arrest and charge the suspect with murder.
Continue reading...Report on keeping border open, backed by Nicky Morgan and Greg Hands, suggests special economic zones
Alternative arrangements for keeping the Irish border open in the event of a no-deal Brexit or the collapse of future trade talks with the EU could be up and running within three years, a report concludes.
The interim report by a non-government organisation calling itself the Alternative Arrangements Commission will be unveiled at a special conference on the Irish border in London on Monday.
Continue reading...I was a little surprised by Larry Elliott’s suggestion that the republican movement has rarely been weaker (How the House of Windsor saw off British republicanism, 13 June). In his analysis he ignores opinion polling, which shows no growth in support for the monarchy, and he ignores the perilous and imminent succession of King Charles.
A YouGov poll commissioned by Republic at the time of Prince Harry’s wedding last year showed widespread indifference to the royals. As expected, a clear majority (60%) said they liked the Queen, but only a third said they liked her “a great deal”. Meanwhile, only 37% wanted Charles to succeed the Queen; 46% said they would prefer “someone else”.
Continue reading...Taoiseach wants to keep a guarantee there will be no return to hard borders
Leo Varadkar has said that removing the border backstop would be as bad for Ireland as a no-deal Brexit.
Some contenders to replace Theresa May as prime minister, including frontrunner Boris Johnson, have proposed changes to the policy.
Continue reading...Dennis Hutchings faces prosecution for alleged attempted murder during the Troubles
A 78-year-old former soldier facing prosecution for alleged attempted murder over a Northern Ireland killing during the Troubles will face trial without a jury, the supreme court has ruled.
Dennis Hutchings, a former member of the Life Guards regiment, has been charged in relation to the 1974 fatal shooting of John Pat Cunningham, a man with learning difficulties who was running away from a patrol in County Tyrone.
Continue reading...High court judge rebukes police and quashes warrants over unredacted document
Police in England and Northern Ireland have dropped a controversial investigation into journalists who made a documentary about a Troubles atrocity, following a public outcry and a stinging rebuke from judges.
The Durham constabulary and the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) announced on Monday night that they were no longer investigating Trevor Birney and Barry McCaffrey over their work on No Stone Unturned, a film about the murder of six Catholics in Loughinisland, County Down, in 1994.
Continue reading...The two reporters, Trevor Birney and Barry McCaffrey, had been investigating the 1994 Loughinisland massacre
Police inappropriately obtained search warrants to raid the homes of two Northern Irish investigative journalists, a court has concluded, in a case that has raised concerns about press freedom in Britain.
Trevor Birney and Barry McCaffrey highlighted apparent collusion between the police and suspected murderers in the 1994 Loughinisland massacre, where six Catholic men were killed by masked Ulster Volunteer Force killers.
Continue reading...Barry McCaffrey and Trevor Birney were held over alleged theft of Loughinisland report
The arrest of two Northern Irish journalists after they embarrassed authorities by obtaining documents relating to a mass murder “was the kind of operation more associated with a police state than with a liberal democracy”, a court has heard.
Northern Irish police raided the homes and offices of the award-winning journalists Trevor Birney and Barry McCaffrey last August over the alleged theft of a police watchdog report, in a case that has gained global attention owing to concerns over its impact on press freedom in Britain.
Continue reading...Naomi Long wins seat after trebling party’s vote, saying supporters want to remain in EU
Opposition to Brexit has propelled the leader of Northern Ireland’s Alliance party to a dramatic victory in the European elections.
Naomi Long, an outspoken advocate of a second referendum on the UK’s European Union membership, won a seat on Monday with 105,958 first preference votes after almost trebling support for her party compared with the 2014 election.
Continue reading...Hundreds of people take park in three-day walk in memory of murdered journalist
Friends of Lyra McKee have started a three-day peace walk from Belfast to Derry, five weeks after the journalist was murdered while watching clashes between police and dissident republicans.
At Writer’s Square in Belfast on Saturday morning, hundreds of people turned out, many wearing T-shirts in her memory and carrying flags bearing messages of peace.
Continue reading...No law can end abortions, however severe its restrictions and however harsh its penalties. Each day almost 70,000 unsafe abortions are carried out around the world, and they are vastly more likely to happen in countries with strict laws. What such legislation does do is force some women to continue pregnancies against their wishes, while risking the lives and wellbeing of others. Women in the US have seen their ability to terminate pregnancies dismantled piece by piece. Now states are racing to outlaw or dramatically curb abortions with extreme and unconstitutional bills. The aim is to directly challenge Roe v Wade, the US supreme court ruling that established that abortion is legal before the foetus is viable outside the womb, at around 24 weeks. Last Tuesday, the governor of Georgia signed a bill essentially banning abortions after six weeks from 2020. Some described it as a sign that men who wish to control women’s bodies have no idea of how they actually work. More likely, those who pushed hardest for the change understand all too well that many women will not know they are pregnant until it is too late.
Five other states have signed similar bills; several more are considering them. (Others have introduced more incremental curbs.) The Alabama senate will this week consider a near-total ban on abortion – with prison sentences of up to 99 years for doctors – which Republicans initially tried to sneak through without even a vote. The state’s lieutenant governor said he believes Roe v Wade will be overturned thanks to Donald Trump’s appointment of conservative jurists.
Continue reading...Results reveal slight loosening of traditional unionist-nationalist stranglehold
Centrist parties have thrived and the Democratic Unionist party (DUP) has consolidated its support, results of Northern Ireland’s local elections show.
With all first preference votes now counted, the Alliance and Green parties, as well as other small parties and independents, made gains, revealing a slight loosening of the traditional unionist-nationalist stranglehold. The DUP won 24.1% of first preferences, a modest increase from the 2014 local election, and Sinn Fein won 23.3%, a slight drop, confirming both parties still dominate the political landscape.
Continue reading...Four thousand skilled jobs at risk in Northern Ireland as Canadian firm unveils sell-off
The Canadian aerospace firm Bombardier is to sell its wing-making operation, which employs 4,000 people in Northern Ireland, sparking concern among trade unions and MPs about the impact on highly skilled jobs.
A spokesman for the prime minister said the government did not expect jobs to be affected but the trade union Unite said it was seeking stronger assurances from the government and the company.
Continue reading...Theresa May and Leo Varadkar announce plan for negotiations involving all major NI parties
The British and Irish governments have reached an agreement to establish a new round of talks involving all the main political parties in Northern Ireland, starting on 7 May.
Theresa May and the taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, credited the public response to the killing of Lyra McKee with the announcement on Friday of a fresh attempt to restore power sharing in Northern Ireland.
Continue reading...Figure comes as rift opens between Northern Ireland Office and MoD over how to deal with historical accusations
As many as 200 former members of the British security forces are under official investigation for alleged criminal actions during the Troubles as a rift opens up between the Northern Ireland Office and the Ministry of Defence over how to deal with historical accusations.
There are at least three prosecutions against British soldiers under way. A former Parachute Regiment lance-corporal, identified only so far as “Soldier F”, is due to stand trial for murder and attempted murder for his role in the 1972 Bloody Sunday killings. Altogether, it is understood that between 150 and 200 former soldiers and police are under investigation for alleged actions taken during the Troubles.
Continue reading...Rolling coverage of the day’s political developments as they happen, including PMQs
Here is the key quote from Sturgeon’s opening statement.
There are some who would like to see a very early referendum, others want that choice to be later.
My job as first minister is to reach a judgment, not simply in my party’s interest but in the national interest.
Asked if she is willing to drop her demand for an independence referendum, Sturgeon says she is genuinely open-minded. If other parties can come forward with another mechanism that will protect Scotland’s interests in the event of Brexit, she will consider that, she says. She stresses that she is “open-minded”.
Continue reading...Political leaders from UK and Ireland are at journalist’s Belfast service
The funeral of Lyra McKee, the journalist shot dead in Derry last week, brought a rare political unity to Northern Ireland on Wednesday.
Theresa May joined dignitaries including the Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, the Irish PM, Leo Varadkar, the Irish president, Michael D Higgins, and the Irish minister for foreign affairs, Simon Coveney, at the funeral.
Continue reading...Group’s statement came amid protests outside Derry offices of Saoradh, a republican party that reflects New IRA thinking
The dissident republican group, the New IRA, has admitted responsibility for the killing of Lyra McKee offering “full and sincere apologies” to her family and friends.
In a statement to the Irish News using a recognised codeword, the group acknowledged its activists had killed the 29-year-old investigative journalist and reporter, who was shot dead in the Creggan estate in Derry on Thursday, and apologised to her relatives.
Continue reading...England just misses out on record, but new highs set in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland
It has been raining in Spain and it’s jumper weather on the coast of Sicily, but in the UK it has been another glorious day, with record-breaking temperatures across much of the country.
Amid warnings that the heatwave was evidence of climate change, the Met Office said new Easter Sunday temperature records were set in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, with England just missing out on a new record.
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