Re-confirmation of Support for Peace Process
13 February 2010
Responding to misleading reports in the Times and the Guardian newspapers, Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Owen Paterson, reconfirms Conservative support for the political processes in Northern Ireland.
Owen Paterson said:
"We have consistently made clear that we fully support the institutions established in Northern Ireland over the past decade. We have stated many times that they are the only show in town. There are no Conservative plans to change them. We back an inclusive, power-sharing administration that respects the parties’ political mandates. There is already a review mechanism in the St Andrews Agreement and a Working Group was established by last week’s Hillsborough Agreement to look at the effectiveness of the Executive.
“We have said in the past that the Executive might at some stage evolve into a more normal system of government and opposition, as have others, but are adamant that any changes could only happen with the consent of the Northern Ireland parties. We would never seek to impose anything. As David Cameron has said, our overriding objective in Northern Ireland is to promote a peaceful, stable and prosperous society. We will help to achieve that by offering its people access to mainstream, non-sectarian UK politics."
