DUP hits out at 'foolish' Labour handling of Troubles legacy as chairman appointed to lead Finucane inquiry

The party leader Gavin Robinson wondered why a public inquiry is appropriate for the Finucane case but is not “good enough for all others" who were murdered in the Troubles, and criticised Labour’s engagement with Dublin on legacy issues.

Mr Finucane, 39, was shot dead at his family home in north Belfast in 1989 by the UDA.

Last year Secretary of State Hilary Benn announced the UK Government would establish an independent inquiry into the killing.

It is to have full powers, including the power to compel the documents and witnesses.

On Friday morning, Mr Benn announced he has appointed Sir Gary Hickinbottom as chairman of the Patrick Finucane Inquiry.

Sir Gary is the current president of the Welsh Tribunals and is a retired Court of Appeal Judge, who undertook the statutory inquiry into corruption and governance in the British Virgin Islands.

Mr Benn has also appointed the former police ombudsman for Northern Ireland Baroness Nuala O'Loan as well as Francesca Del Mese as assessors to the inquiry.

The next step in the process involves Mr Benn consulting with Sir Gary on the proposed terms of reference for the inquiry.

Mr Benn said he is confident the inquiry will provide answers to Mr Finucane's family.

"The murder of Mr Finucane was a barbarous and heinous crime, and one which continues to highlight the legacy of the Troubles in Northern Ireland ," he said.

"I commend and support the tireless campaign of Mrs Finucane and her family in seeking answers to the brutal murder of their loved one, and I am confident that this inquiry will provide answers to the family who have suffered so terribly.

"I am delighted that Sir Gary Hickinbottom has accepted this important role as chair of the Patrick Finucane inquiry and that Baroness O'Loan and Francesca Del Mese have accepted the important roles of assessors to the inquiry...

"At the heart of this case lies a family who lost their husband and father in horrific circumstances, and I look forward to meeting the Finucane family in Belfast as soon as possible."

After the announcement, Mr Robinson MP accused Mr Benn of taking a “foolish and hapless approach to legacy”.

He said: “As he continues to keep his next steps on legacy private, he has no qualms about satisfying the distasteful elevation of some victims over others.

“He conceded to an Inquiry for the Finucane family, whilst suggesting the ICRIR was good enough for all others.”

He also criticsed Mr Benn for going to the Irish government and “seeking their approval” for his approach, whenever its own record on legacy is “scandalous”.

Referring to Dublin’s ongoing legal challenge against the UK’s Legacy Act, he said that “the Irish maintain their inter-state case against the UK government, yet the Secretary of State keeps going”.

The Northern Ireland Secretary was asked about the DUP leader’s remarks as he attended a meeting of the British Irish Council in Newcastle, Co Down on Friday.

“I make no apology at all for trying to work with the Irish Government, because the lesson, indeed exemplified by the Good Friday Agreement, is we make most progress when we work together,” he said.

“And that is what I’m determined to do in the interests of truth and reconciliation and, finally, giving answers to families who have suffered so much.”

Also responding to the DUP leader’s criticism, Irish premier Micheal Martin and deputy premier Simon Harris both moved to defend Mr Benn as they praised his efforts to work with their Government to try to resolve outstanding issues around unsolved murder cases and families who continue to seek truth and justice for lost loved ones.

They also rejected Mr Robinson’s assertion that the Dublin government has adopted a “scandalous approach to legacy” in failing to rigorously investigate and provide answers on atrocities with a cross-border dimension.