Leader and chief executive urged to expose any past scandals and cover‑ups

Former DUP minister Jim Wells has blasted his old party as “rotten to the core”.

Mr Wells, who resigned from the DUP in 2022, has also taken aim at the party’s long-standing chief executive Timothy Johnston.

It follows a series of controversies for the party, including the Jeffrey Donaldson child abuse scandal.

In a separate case, DUP MP Jim Shannon was charged this week with common assault of a woman. Mr Shannon’s lawyer has said the case will be factually contested.

While the two issues are entirely separate and in no way related, it has created a series of unwelcome headlines for the DUP.

Posting on Facebook, Mr Wells said: “After further recent developments Gavin Robinson must now realise that the party he leads is rotten to the core.

“He has a very diligent, hard-working chief executive - Timothy Johnston - who has been at the heart of the DUP for 27 years.

“As I have said before there is not a blade of grass on the DUP lawn that Mr Johnston has not personally sown and manicured.

“He is the one person with a complete knowledge of what has been going on behind the scenes for the last decades.”

The former Stormont health minister said it is now time for Mr Robinson and Mr Johnston to “sit down in a locked room and compile a comprehensive document revealing all that has happened within the DUP since 2003”.

“What has brought down so many party leaders is not the wrongdoings that have occurred in the past but the frantic attempts to cover these up,” he said.

“Issuing a strict edict to every DUP representative not to speak to anyone about recent scandals is [the] totally wrong approach. 

“What the unionist electorate wants is total transparency from the leadership.”

The DUP has been contacted for comment.

Jim Wells resigned from the DUP, for which he had served for more than 20 years, on April 12, 2022, after being deselected by the party ahead of the Assembly election.

On the same day, he endorsed the rival TUV candidate in his South Down constituency, Harold McKee.

On his deselection, Mr Wells said he was “hurt, not so much by what has happened, but how it has happened”.

Mr Wells subsequently joined the TUV and ran for the party in the 2024 Westminster election, but did not win a seat.

Following the Jeffrey Donaldson scandal, which saw the former party leader convicted of a series of child sex offences earlier this year, including one count of rape, Mr Wells launched a series of scathing public attacks on his former boss, who he blamed for his 2022 deselection.

He branded Donaldson an “unmitigated liar” and said his “entire political career and personal conduct was based on falsehoods, dishonesty and shocking immorality”.

A DUP spokesman said at the time: “Jim Wells is a political rival. These are weighty matters. Everything we have done has been shaped by one overriding consideration: respect for victims and confidence in safeguarding.”

https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/politics/jim-wells-blasts-dup-as-rotten-to-the-core-over-recent-controversies/a/160184353.html

Linzi McLaren, who quit over party’s failure to match its words about reaching out with actions, is now firmly in the camp of those seeking a ‘new Ireland’

A former UUP councillor who quit the party has revealed that she would like to stand for the SDLP if she returns to politics.

Linzi McLaren resigned in November 2025, two-and-a-half years after being elected to Ards and North Down Borough Council, over “a series of failures on several issues, like the Irish language, Casement Park and women in the party”.

She said she is weighing up her options for the future — but if she was to be on a ballot paper next May, it would hopefully be for the nationalist party, praising its leader Claire Hanna.

The mum-of-four, a former police officer, pivoted into politics when she was elected to Ards and North Down Borough Council for the UUP in 2023.

Despite her success, it was on the canvass that she already started to notice a disconnect between what she was making the case for and what she truly felt. 

She explained: “I was very much sold on Doug Beattie’s vision for Northern Ireland in that it was a place for all and a home for all.

“Yet, I started to feel that wasn’t actually the case in reality or in practical terms.

“At the minute I think that I feel at a bit of a crossroads. Is my voice more useful or more impactful as a commentator or an elected representative?

“And I suppose my mind is in turmoil in that respect, because I desperately miss being a political representative.

“It was an extension of being a police officer by getting involved with the public and being able to help them in whatever capacity I can, whether they voted for me or not. 

“If I was to join a political party, yes it would be the SDLP.

“I haven’t joined them. But for a long time I would have classed myself as politically neutral and would have said that I was open to persuasion.

“Now, I don’t want to pigeonhole myself, but I am very involved with promoting a new Ireland, and if that makes me a nationalist, then call me a nationalist. 

“For my future, I’m undecided. But if I am to be on the ballot paper, it would be for the SDLP, because I resonate with their vision. 

“I think Claire Hanna MP and Matthew O’Toole MLA are doing a great job and I think their political representatives are doing a fantastic job — and I would align with their policies and their style of politics.”

In June Ms McLaren took part in a panel discussion as part of an SDLP conference that focused on preparing for a unity referendum. She shared the stage with former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Irish Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan.

In the last fortnight she has attended a pop-up Gaeltacht event as part of Feile an Phobail in west Belfast, as well as a panel debate on Irish unity with Ms Hanna and writer Claire Mitchell. 

Her relationship with the SDLP began after she supported the Casement Park redevelopment project. 

It’s something that felt natural to her after working closely with St Paul’s GAC in Holywood while a councillor. 

She added: “I love Gaelic sport — look at what we saw at the All Ireland final in Croke Park (this year).

“Casement would be an incredible stadium with passion and thousands of people.

“Imagine if we could see that in a stadium in Belfast with thousands of people. It just makes sense. It would also bring money into the economy in Northern Ireland. 

“I didn’t think back then that it would have been an issue, but the minute I posted that Casement Park should be built my phone blew up. That was intense. 

“I always would have had a lot of people replying to my posts on social media and saying that I was ‘woke’, a lefty, a Lundy, and that I should be in the Alliance Party.

“My response would always have been the same. I’m calling for respect, tolerance and equality, and you’re telling me that therefore I can’t be a unionist politician. What does that say about unionism?”

In the middle of the furore, she arrived at Bangor Castle for a council meeting to find an embossed letter from the House of Commons waiting for her. 

She recalled: “At first I thought: ‘Oh dear, what have I done?’ But I opened it and there was the most lovely letter from Claire Hanna, who had never met me before. 

“The letter read: ‘I noticed the post, just wanted to send some solidarity to you, I see you’re getting some abuse, keep your head up, you’re doing a great job’.

“I sat there and thought I have just received a letter from the leader of a nationalist party and I got more support there than what I did from my own party.”

Ms McLaren said having conversations about unity and what that would look like has opened her up to opportunities she never thought she would experience, particularly her exposure to the Irish language. 

She said: “What amazes me is the passion and the love that people have for the language, because it is phenomenal.

“And there are so many Irish speakers who are not even people from a traditionally nationalist background, or didn’t learn it in school. So many people now want to learn it.

“I remember phoning four places in Belfast trying to get in-person lessons organised, and all of them were booked out.

“So don’t try to tell me that this is a hobby language. The Irish language is very much alive.”

She believes the appeal of nationalist parties to younger people is “positive and forward-looking, as these voters are our future”.

Stormont and council elections will take place next May.

The SDLP has never secured an Assembly seat in North Down. 

There is only one SDLP councillor in the borough, Joe Boyle.

https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/politics/former-uup-councillor-if-my-future-is-in-politics-it-will-be-with-the-sdlp/a/159393168.html

Jon Burrows says a possible Farage premiership would ‘create uncertainty for many people’

The leader of the UUP is concerned about the prospect of a Reform government in London, saying Nigel Farage is an “English nationalist, as opposed to a unionist.”

“It would create uncertainty for many people,” Jon Burrows said of a possible Farage premiership.

“There is a concern that Nigel Farage is an English nationalist as opposed to a unionist, and there’s a big difference between those two things.

“It would be absolutely imperative that Nigel Farage does not put English nationalism ahead of UK unionism if he enters Number 10. We need to make sure that we are a cohesive country.

Asked whether a Farage government would worry him, the UUP leader said: “I’m vigilant about all governments and all prime ministers — history has told us to be vigilant. But we will work with who we need to work with. Clearly Farage brings an unpredictability — it would be hundreds of new MPs, if he was to become Prime Minister, that we don’t really know anything about: inexperienced, unseasoned, untested.

“There are challenges and a lot of unknowns, and that’s why I think we need strong unionism at home — smart and strategic unionism. I’ve seen too many unionist leaders who had too much trust in various UK leaders. We operate on a policy of trust but verify.”

Speaking to the Irish News on Monday, Mr Burrows revealed he has yet to speak to new Prime Minister Andy Burnham, with his contact with the incoming Secretary of State so far limited to text messages.

He gave Mr Burnham’s opening days a cautious welcome.

“Clearly he’s got a very different style. As a style, it’s refreshing, it’s different,” he said.

“I was pleased to hear he isn’t entertaining constitutional change and polls, because I think that’s a distraction from what people really want. I was glad to hear he was reviewing the prison release schemes. But we need to make sure that whenever he promises things that are beneficial, that they apply to Northern Ireland.”

Asked whether he was concerned the new Prime Minister’s focus would be only on Britain, where Labour faces its electoral battle with Reform - Mr Burrows said the test was clear.

“It’s very early days, and clearly I’m conscious there’s an electoral battle with Reform, in England principally, and that will surely be a priority for Andy Burnham,” he said.

“But I don’t want to be one of those people who is always negative about a new leader. I want to give Andy Burnham the opportunity to be a Prime Minister for the whole United Kingdom.

“For me, that’s the test: are you going to govern in the interests of all of the United Kingdom? Are these big ideas and big policies going to translate to better life opportunities here in Northern Ireland? For example, when he talks about cutting VAT on hospitality, we need to make sure Northern Ireland sees the benefit of that.

“He has talked a lot about believing in devolution, believing in the regions, taking things away from being London-centric. It would be ironic if he did the opposite and became England-focused. He needs to govern for the whole United Kingdom.”

On the subject of new Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Bryant, Mr Burrows says he does not want to see a hands off approach when it comes to the north.

“I don’t want a passive approach to Northern Ireland from the Secretary of State,” he said.

“I want to see the Secretary of State being a champion in Cabinet for Northern Ireland.

“I think, understandably, other Secretaries of State have been frustrated at the political parties here not doing the job they ought to be doing — failing to strike multi-year budgets, failing to manage their finances right. Stormont has been down as much as it’s been up. Politics in Northern Ireland hasn’t been grown up, and it has often looked for a get-out-of-jail card from the UK government.

“I want to change that. I want us to live within our means, strike multi-year budgets, fix Stormont, fix our public services — do the grown-up politics.

“If we do that, it has to come with a UK government that supports us in doing the big things. There’s a deal to be struck here about a new relationship: we will do better in Stormont and manage our money more wisely — can you do more in allowing us to compete, by reducing VAT on hospitality and tourism, by reducing corporation tax, because we’re on the land border with the Irish Republic and they have more favourable conditions?”

https://www.irishnews.com/news/northern-ireland/nigel-farage-is-not-a-unionist-uup-concerned-what-reform-government-would-mean-for-northern-ireland-7L2BTQQLQJGIBLILDJWBMCME7Y/

LucidTalk poll reveals trust crisis for party

Four in 10 DUP voters don’t believe the party has been fully hon­est about what it knows of Jef­frey Don­ald­son’s double life, a Lucidtalk poll for the Bel­fast Tele­graph shows.

It also found the DUP is the party in North­ern Ire­land least trus­ted by its own voters.

Since Don­ald­son was found guilty of 18 his­tor­ical sexual offences includ­ing rape last month, the former party leader and MP has faced a slew of claims about his per­sonal life while elec­ted.

While the DUP has claimed it was not aware of his beva­viour — which included heavy drink­ing and enter­ing a gay sauna in Lon­don — just 14pc of NI voters believe it, and 24pc say they only par­tially believe it.

Four in 10 DUP voters don’t believe the party has been fully hon­est about what it knows of Jef­frey Don­ald­son’s double life.

A new Lucidtalk poll for the Bel­fast Tele­graph also shows that the DUP is the party in North­ern Ire­land least trus­ted by its own voters.

Don­ald­son was found guilty of 18 his­tor­ical abuse charges last month, includ­ing one of child rape.

Apart from his sex crimes, other aspects of Don­ald­son’s per­sonal life were in stark con­trast to his pub­lic per­sona as a pious, con­ser­vat­ive Chris­tian.

Former DUP min­is­ter Jim Wells has out­lined Don­ald­son’s heavy drink­ing on trips abroad, while ex-mp Ian Pais­ley has said he was once so drunk he vomited over the mayor of Beijing.

Eleanor Don­ald­son believed her hus­band had extramar­ital affairs, and two former senior PSNI detect­ives saw him enter­ing a gay sauna in Lon­don.

The DUP claims it was totally unaware of any of this beha­viour, but only 14pc of North­ern Ire­land voters believe it.

Some 82pc don’t believe the party: 50pc think it is being “com­pletely untruth­ful”, while a third of voters (32pc) believe it’s being “only par­tially truth­ful”.

Six in 10 uni­on­ists think it isn’t being com­pletely hon­est, with just a third say­ing it is.

The DUP has been under polit­ical pres­sure since Don­ald­son’s recent con­vic­tion.

Even among those who say they will still vote for the party, 38pc don’t believe it is telling the full truth about its former leader’s double life — 14pc say the party is being com­pletely untruth­ful and 24pc say it is being only par­tially truth­ful.

Some 84pc of UUP and 81pc of TUV sup­port­ers also think the biggest uni­on­ist party isn’t being hon­est about what it knew about him.

Not a single Sinn Féin or Alli­ance voter who took part in the poll — and just 1pc of SDLP voters — believe the DUP is being fully hon­est.

When it comes to being trus­ted by its own sup­port­ers, the DUP scores lower than every other polit­ical party here.

Its voters rate their trust in the party at 64pc while TUV sup­port­ers score their party at 91pc and UUP sup­port­ers rate theirs at 84pc.

The third most trus­ted party by its own sup­port­ers is the SDLP (81pc) fol­lowed by Sinn Féin (73pc) with Alli­ance (70pc) second last.

At 62pc, DUP voters’ trust Jim Allister’s party almost as much as their own. UUP sup­port­ers score the TUV twice as highly on the trust front (50pc) as they do the DUP (24pc).

SDLP sup­port­ers have con­sid­er­ably less trust in Sinn Féin (24pc) than Alli­ance voters (38pc) have in Michelle O’neill’s party.

Voters score mor­ale and enthu­si­asm higher in the nation­al­ist com­munity (51pc) than among the con­sti­tu­tion­ally non-aligned (44pc) or uni­on­ists (41pc).

Two years ago, Don­ald­son nego­ti­ated the ‘Safe­guard­ing the Union’ deal — reached with the Gov­ern­ment on the Irish Sea bor­der — to restore devol­u­tion here.

Only one in five uni­on­ists sup­port that deal now with 63pc say­ing they never backed it and 14pc say­ing they did but have now changed their minds.

Some 95pc of TUV, 86pc of UUP, and 63pc of DUP voters are against the agree­ment which saw the Stor­mont insti­tu­tions return after two years’ sus­pen­sion.

Some 3,043 people took part in our poll, from July 17 to 19, with the sample sci­en­tific­ally weighted to reflect the pop­u­la­tion.

https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/politics/four-in-10-dup-voters-dont-believe-party-is-being-fully-honest-about-jeffrey-donaldsons-double-life/a/159134540.html

Jon Burrows accepts David Trimble’s ‘cold house for Catholics’ verdict on the state his party governed for 51 years

UUP leader Jon Burrows has admitted his party’s successive governments discriminated against Catholics through gerrymandering and employment during its 51 years of unbroken rule at Stormont.

The UUP formed every Northern Ireland government from partition in 1921 until the imposition of direct rule in 1972, and all six prime ministers of the old Stormont regime were Ulster Unionists.

The former senior PSNI officer, who has described the modern day party as “non-sectarian”, accepted David Trimble’s verdict that unionism had built “a cold house for Catholics” in an interview with the Here’s How politics podcast released on Thursday.

Pressed by host William Campbell on how the UUP’s non-sectarian claim squared with its history, Mr Burrows invoked his predecessor’s Nobel Peace Prize lecture.

“The state was not always run the way it should be, with gerrymandering, with discrimination in employment,” he added.

“I don’t pretend that we were faultless.

“But this is a changed place. People are treated fairly. You have nationalists now at the top level of politics. We have first ministers, nationalists. We have nationalists in top levels in the law, media, businesses. This is a place utterly transformed. And the Ulster Unionist Party is non-sectarian.”

When asked what proportion of the party’s MLAs, one MP and more than 50 councillors today were Catholic, Mr Burrows conceded he did not know of any.

“I’m not aware of any Catholics, no,” he said, before pointing to the record of rival parties: “If you ask the TUV or DUP, you’ll find their elected representatives... probably 100% Protestant. If you ask Sinn Féin, they’re certainly 100% Catholic.”

He then cited John Gorman, a Catholic elected as a UUP MLA in 1998, saying: “We have had Catholic MLAs.”

Mr Burrows appealed directly for Catholic votes, adding that he would expel anyone found behaving in a sectarian way within the party.

“We don’t have enough Catholics supporting us. And I want to actually transcend that and say, look, let’s not vote on the basis of religion,” he said.

“I want you to vote whether you believe in strong law and order, whether you believe in a strong economy, whether you believe in policies that allow our children to thrive in school, whether you want childcare given so that our young parents can go and have great careers. If you believe in those things, I want you to vote for me and my party, regardless of your religion. Your religion is no interest to me, other than I’ll make sure you have the right to practice.”

On the constitutional question, Mr Burrows dismissed any prospect of Irish unity, claiming nobody now alive will see it.

“I don’t think it’s going to happen,” he said.

I don’t think any of us alive will see it happen. All my energy goes to making Northern Ireland work,” he said, claiming unionism would win a border poll held today “at 70-30”.

Meanwhile, Mr Burrows also claimed there was significant Catholic support for the Union .

“If you ask people in the Catholic community who would support staying in the United Kingdom, it’s actually quite a sizable minority, even those who vote for the SDLP and Sinn Féin,” he said.

He added: “I’m sorry the Irish Republic left the United Kingdom. It’s often seen as Northern Ireland left the Irish Republic, but the Republic of Ireland left the United Kingdom. I think that’s sad.

“I think we’ve actually got so much in common between two islands. We should have the closest relationship.”

https://www.irishnews.com/news/northern-ireland/uup-leader-admits-his-partys-stormont-governments-discriminated-against-catholics-TET522AORVC55CQMB5MIQXLFFE/

Upper Bann MP Carla Lockhart claims PSNI asked her to attend loyalist protest last month

The PSNI has contradicted claims made to a High Court judge that DUP MP Carla Lockhart attended a loyalist protest involving masked men at the request of the PSNI.

The claim was made during a legal challenge arising from a Parades Commission decision to ban members of the Orange order from marching through the mainly Catholic Garvaghy Road district of Portadown, in Co Armagh.

The Drumcree dispute, which began in 1995 after nationalists objected to the Orange Order going through the area, sparked widespread disorder that resulted in the deaths of several people.

The victims included three Catholic schoolboys Richard, Mark and Jason Quinn who died when their home was petrol bombed by loyalists in Ballymoney, Co Antrim, in an arson attack linked to the dispute.

At a court hearing earlier this month, High Court judge Mr Justice McAlinden was told that Upper Bann MP, who was present in the court, had written a letter in support of Portadown Orangemen.

While the hearing on July 3 was not reported at the time, the Irish News has obtained a record of proceedings.

During the hearing, the judge raised ‘concerns’ about Ms Lockhart’s attendance at a loyalist protest in Scarva, which is outside her constituency, last month in opposition to a pro-Palestinian march, which passed close to the village.

The DUP MP was pictured standing beside masked men during the peaceful procession as abuse was directed at those taking part.

The judge said: “And it’s that type of, let’s say, willingness to get involved with those that appear to be, let’s say, well, wearing masks in public is a criminal offence, we know that it’s a specific offence.

“You know, it’s the, let’s say, lack of recognition of the public perception of that that does, in a sense, devalue her intervention in this particular instance.”

Mr Justice McAlinden added that “there was a potential to distance oneself afterwards, and that potential was not, in any sense, taken, there was doubling down.

“So, that does, I think, indicate a state of mind that would be somewhat inimicable to, let’s say, the universal application of rule of law, etc, etc,” he said.

Barrister John Larkin KC later addressed the court on behalf of the DUP representative.

“Ms Lockhart, who is present, has asked me to assure the court that she absolutely condemns appearances by masked persons or any other form of criminality and her presence at Scarva was for a specific purpose and she was specifically asked by PSNI to attend,” he said.

However, when asked by the Irish News if the PSNI requested Ms Lockhart to attend the event and if it was for a “specific purpose”, a spokeswoman contradicted the claims made to the court.

“The Police Service of Northern Ireland can confirm that no invitations were extended to elected political representatives in relation to a planned parade and associated protest at Scarva which took on Saturday June 6, 2026,” a spokeswoman said.

In a statement, Ms Lockhart accused The Irish News of “selective reporting” of the court hearing.

“It is notable that seemingly having possession of the transcript of the hearing, the Irish News try desperately to pluck out a couple of lines to try and demonise me, and unionism more generally, and ignore the plethora of material which raises very serious concerns about the conduct of the Parades Commission.”

And she added: “Out of respect for the Judicial process, I shall say no more about the specifics of the court hearing at this time. It goes without saying, I stand over all my actions and submissions made on my behalf. And I will be back in court on 24th August to support the applicant.

“I answer to the electorate of Upper Bann and the unionist and loyalist people of Northern Ireland, not to the Irish News.

“Finally, these attacks aren’t really about me personally, they are attacks on the idea that unionists and loyalists would dare to use the courts, dare to seek to enforce their rights.”

https://www.irishnews.com/news/northern-ireland/police-contradict-court-claim-by-carla-lockhart-that-she-attended-masked-men-protest-at-the-request-of-the-psni-LDBPEG5QURDAPN3HDFICQSAYGE/

DUP MP wants Orangemen to march through Catholic Garvaghy Road district of Co Armagh

A High Court judge has raised ‘concerns’ about DUP MP Carla Lockhart’s appearance with masked men at a recent loyalist protest.

The comments came during a legal challenge arising from a Parades Commission decision to ban members of the Orange Order from marching through the mainly Catholic Garvaghy Road district of Portadown, in Co Armagh.

The Drumcree dispute, which began in 1995 after nationalists objected to the Orange Order going through the area, sparked widespread disorder that resulted in the deaths of several people.

The victims included three Catholic schoolboys, Richard, Mark and Jason Quinn, who died when their home was petrol bombed by loyalists in Ballymoney, Co Antrim, in an arson attack linked to the dispute.

Although the Orange Order insists on marching through the nationalist district, many young people in the area have no memory of a parade, while others view the dispute as being long over.

Ms Lockhart, an MP for Upper Bann, was present in court for a hearing connected to the challenge earlier this month.

The prominent DUP figure was also present in Scarva, which is outside her constituency, last month when loyalists held a protest during a pro-Palestinian march, which passed close to the village.

She was pictured standing beside masked men during the peaceful procession as abuse was hurled at those taking part.

The MP later defended her decision to attend the protest, adding that she was present to stand with people in her community.

During the court hearing earlier this month, which was not reported at the time, details of a letter written by Ms Lockhart in support of the Orange Order were provided to the court by John Larkin KC.

A record of proceedings obtained by the Irish News reveals that in her correspondence, Ms Lockhart says Portadown Orangemen have “indicated a willingness to engage in dialogue” and suggested “the demographic composition of the area has changed significantly” in the years since the dispute began.

The barrister said Ms Lockhart believes there “are material changes which require the Parades Commission to undertake a fresh and genuine assessment of the present-day position, rather than continuing to rely upon assumptions rooted in circumstances that existed almost three decades ago”.

In response, Mr Justice McAlinden made direct reference to Ms Lockhart’s attempts to explain her role at Scarva weeks earlier.

“One thing I think that caused, I think, some concern in relation to the manifestation of, let’s say, challenge to the parade, or sorry, to the march, the pro-Palestinian march, at the Scarva event, was the presence of masked men in close proximity to Ms Lockhart and Ms Lockhart’s subsequent attempt to justify her presence there as standing with her people, etc,” he said

The High Court judge focused on Ms Lockhart’s approach to the Scarva protest.

“Now, I have to be very careful in relation to what I say about that, but it does strike me that in terms of public representatives making submissions or making representations in respect of issues such as this parade, it’s a bit concerning when those same public representatives do not see that there is an issue lining up with people who are masked men, counter-protesting against a march in Scarva, just strikes me as, let’s say, a movement back towards the bad old days rather than a movement forward.

“And I think any correspondence from such an individual has to be weighed, taking account of that individual’s actions in other circumstances, especially when those other circumstances are specifically addressed in the correspondence.”

Mr Justice McAlinden also highlighted Ms Lockhart’s apparent unwillingness to “distance herself” from the masked protesters.

“Well, she’s saying there’s a difference of approach, and she’s saying that there should be, you know, well, there should be a re-evaluation of the stance taken by the Parades Commission in this particular instance, but there doesn’t appear to be any willingness to, in any sense, distance herself from standing with masked men who are exhibiting hostile opposition to a pro-Palestinian march,” he said.

“And it’s that type of, let’s say, willingness to get involved with those that appear to be, let’s say, well, wearing masks in public is a criminal offence, we know that it’s a specific offence.

“You know, it’s the, let’s say, lack of recognition of the public perception of that that does, in a sense, devalue her intervention in this particular instance.”

Mr Justice McAlinden added that “there was a potential to distance oneself afterwards, and that potential was not, in any sense, taken, there was doubling down.

“So, that does, I think, indicate a state of mind that would be somewhat inimicable to, let’s say, the universal application of rule of law, etc, etc,” he said.

“It just flavours things, you know, and it does, in a sense, cause me some, let’s say, concern in terms of placing too much weight in respect of the correspondence from this MP having regard to this MP’s recent behaviour in another contentious, let’s say, parade-type or march-type situation.

“That’s all I’m saying.”

Mr Larkin later addressed the court on behalf of Ms Lockhart.

“Ms Lockart, who is present, has asked me to assure the court that she absolutely condemns appearances by masked persons or any other form of criminality and her presence at Scarva was for a specific purpose and she was specifically asked by PSNI to attend,” he said.

Mr McAlinden welcomed the remarks.

“I’m very glad to have that clarification from her and I think it’s important that a public official of her standing and her experience makes such a statement as that,” he said.

“Because I think it does give reassurance to everyone that our public representatives are very, very mindful of the importance (of) making statements which…can only be interpreted as providing support and upholding the rule of law.”

During the hearing it emerged an ‘engagement exercise’ had taken place in Portadown in April.

A Parades Commission official told the court that “most political parties, with one exception” took part in the engagement, including the DUP.

When asked if Ms Lockhart took part, the official said “no, she did not”.

Earlier this month Orangemen agreed to postpone their Garvaghy Road parade plans for the first time in more than 25 years after the legal challenge was launched.

An application for a ‘new’ march, involving 10 people, had earlier been rejected by the Parades Commission.

Orangemen had wanted to carry a union flag and Orange banner through the Garvaghy Road area as part of the proposed ‘Drumcree Civil and Religious Liberty Memorial Walk’.

The Drumcree case is expected to return to the High Court next month.

https://www.irishnews.com/news/northern-ireland/high-court-judge-raises-concerns-over-carla-lockhart-appearance-with-masked-men-at-scarva-R7IZK7RM3NHEZGNRFAIPKRKTIQ/

The Rhondda and Ogmore MP was appointed by Prime Minister Andy Burnham to follow Hilary Benn,

Sir Chris Bryant has been appointed to serve as the new Northern Ireland Secretary.

The Rhondda and Ogmore MP and former minister for trade and labour was announced by Prime Minister Andy Burnham during a long-running process to appoint his Cabinet.

The announcement came just after 11pm on Monday after it emerged earlier that Hilary Benn would not be continuing in the role.

Mr Benn pledged to support Mr Burnham from the backbenches as he confirmed he would be leaving the position.

The Labour veteran had been serving in the region since he was appointed by former premier Sir Keir Starmer after their party came back into power in 2024.

Mr Benn was the first person from Labour in the role in 14 years, since the party lost the 2010 general election.

Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs Helen McEntee paid tribute to Mr Benn as having “brought warmth and a constructive approach to all of his relationships here in Ireland”.

DUP leader Gavin Robinson paid tribute to Mr Benn as an “honourable man”.

He told media in Belfast that while he had “difficulties” with Mr Benn’s position on the legacy of Northern Ireland’s troubled past, he recognised he had put “a lot of his time and effort” into trying to tackle that issue.

Later on Monday, Mr Benn announced he was leaving the role in a statement on social media platform X.

He described the “great privilege” to have served, and also pledged his support for Mr Burnham.

“It has been a great privilege to serve as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and to work with the many wonderful people I have met over the last 2 years,” he wrote.

“I wish my successor all the very best in working with the Executive to protect stability, continuing to generate growth and investment and in taking forward the Troubles Bill which is so important for so many families.

“The Prime Minister will have my full support from the backbenches.”

In a statement Ms McEntee thanked Mr Benn for his “deep commitment to Northern Ireland, and to the UK-Ireland relationship more broadly”.

“He approached his role with purpose and understanding, and with a clear wish to make things better for all the people of Northern Ireland,” she said.

“That approach was what allowed both our governments to reach agreement last September on the Joint Framework on the Legacy of the Troubles, the first such comprehensive agreement on the issues in more than a decade.

“The framework puts victims, survivors and families at its heart.”

Ms McEntee added: “Hilary has brought warmth and a constructive approach to all of his relationships here in Ireland, and indeed in Northern Ireland.

“I look forward to working with his successor in the time ahead.”

Mr Robinson also said he looked forward to engaging with the next Northern Ireland Secretary.

“I thank Hilary Benn for his service as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and wish him well for the future,” he said in a statement on Monday evening.

“While we have had significant disagreements on a number of important issues, particularly legacy, the Windsor Framework and the need for Government to act more decisively in Northern Ireland’s interests, those differences were always advanced robustly and respectfully.

“The office of Secretary of State carries immense responsibility, and whoever succeeds Mr Benn must recognise the importance of working constructively with all parties whilst working to strengthen Northern Ireland’s place within the United Kingdom, and the need to deliver stable, accountable government that delivers the best services and outcomes for our people here.

“The Democratic Unionist Party looks forward to engaging positively with the incoming Secretary of State in the interests of all the people of Northern Ireland.”

SDLP leader Claire Hanna said while she “did not always agree” with Mr Benn she “found him to be thoughtful, engaged and willing to listen”.

“That approach stood in marked contrast to some previous secretaries of state, and I appreciated his willingness to reckon seriously with the challenges facing Northern Ireland,” she said.

“We will be pressing the new Secretary of State to ensure momentum is maintained on institutional reform, sustainable public finances and the long-term stability of Northern Ireland’s political institutions.”

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/andy-burnham-chris-bryant-northern-ireland-secretary-of-state-hilary-benn-b1290708.html