Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
‘Misleading lady’
A COUNCIL boss and DUP mayor have been accused of misleading a Stormont committee by claiming a controversial NI Protocol letter had unanimous cross-party support.
Mid and East Antrim chief executive Anne Donaghy and mayor Peter Johnston said her letter to the UK government was endorsed by councillors during a meeting on Tuesday.
However, it is understood the letter was only included within the appendices of a 52-page documents pack sent to councillors just hours before the meeting.
The pack related to a proposal to take legal advice around establishing which department is responsible for the funding of Brexit checks at Larne Port.
Councillors discussed the matter behind closed doors. A proposal to defer a decision due to it being raised at short notice was voted down.
Mr Johnston and Ms Donaghy returned to the Assembly’s agriculture committee yesterday to answer questions over her letter to the Cabinet Office sent on the advice of three DUP MPS.
The confidential letter, dated January 30, had not been disclosed to the inquiry when they attended last month, with Ms Donaghy insisting it was “not relevant”.
But she faced calls to “consider her position” after the Mirror later revealed the full contents of the correspondence.
It included security concerns over Larne Port and questions on the impact of Northern Ireland’s postbrexit arrangements on the “principles of consent enshrined in the 1998 Good Friday Agreement”.
The council and Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots temporarily withdrew Brexit staff from Larne and Belfast ports on February 1 over threat fears following the appearance of graffiti.
MLAS are probing the decision after police said there was no evidence of “credible threats” or the involvement of loyalist paramilitaries.
Ms Donaghy defended her letter, saying it would be “dereliction of my duty not to keep highlighting” governance issues around the ports.
She told MLAS she sought advice from two MPS from the council area, Sammy Wilson and Ian Paisley, on who would be the most appropriate senior official to “engage with on these serious issues”.
She said they directed her to their colleague Jeffrey Donaldson, who gave her a name to contact in the Cabinet Office.
Mr Johnston told MLAS the letter “got cross-party unanimous support” at Tuesday’s council meeting, while Ms Donaghy also said it had “unanimous cross-party agreement”.
However local Sinn Fein councillor James Mckeown disputed the claim.
He said: “It is misleading to say that the decision on Tuesday night was an endorsement of that letter.
“It was an endorsement of trying to find out who was actually responsible for funding the staff at the harbour and that’s the way it was presented to us. There was no mention of the letter.”
Alliance councillor Danny Donnelly said: “Both the mayor and chief executive have alluded to all parties backing the letter, but did not mention the circumstances in which it was provided to councillors, being among 52 pages of evidence uploaded at short notice before the meeting.”
Meanwhile, a Mid and East Antrim spokesman said: “Council stands by the evidence presented to the committee.”
The letter was among 52 pages of evidence uploaded at short notice CLLR DANNY DONNELLY ON CHIEF EXEC’S CLAIM
Council boss is challenged over claims of cross-party backing