Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
‘BELL’S A LIAR’ DUP spin doctor raps ex-minister Robinson says RHI claims ‘hurtful’
THE DUP’S communications chief yesterday branded a former party minister a “liar” over claims he tried to delay RHI cost controls.
John Robinson said the claims by Jonathan Bell led to his family being “undeservedly catapulted” into the media spotlight.
In January last year, Mr Bell, a former enterprise minister, made a statement to the Assembly over the cash-for-ash green energy scheme.
He said senior DUP staff had sought to block curbs to the project because of “extensive interests in the poultry industry”, and named Mr Robinson and special adviser Timothy Johnston.
Asked why Mr Bell would name him, Mr Robinson replied: “Only he can answer that question.
“It was incredibly hurtful for me, my family were catapulted into a media spotlight which they didn’t deserve.
“Jonathan told lies, he knows he told lies.”
In written evidence to the inquiry, Mr Robinson said he regretted not declaring earlier his father-in-law was a recipient of the RHI scheme but he insisted he had “no financial interest” in his relative’s business.
Hugh Rutledge said his son-inlaw had nothing to do with the botched green energy in 2015 or 2016 when there were talks over introducing cost control measures and later closing the scheme.
Mr Robinson was then special adviser to DUP economy minister Simon Hamilton, at the department that was then running the RHI scheme. He said Mr Bell’s allegation led to him being told some within the party thought he should resign.
Meanwhile, outside of the inquiry, Sinn Fein’s Michelle O’neill responded to a claim by Arlene Foster that the late deputy first minister Martin Mcguinness was aware of a whistleblower warning about the RHI scheme. Reading out a statement, she said the republican “set the benchmark for good government”.
Mrs O’neill added: “He led by example and any attack on his integrity is spurious, is disgraceful and it will be robustly challenged.”