DUP slams 'irrational and absurd' Stormont report into Gordon Lyons Facebook post - warning of 'alarming precedent'

Gordon Lyons says the findings by former Assembly Standards Commissioner demonstrate “a worrying misunderstanding about the role of public representatives and risks setting an alarming precedent for all MLAs”.

That warning was echoed his party leader Gavin Robinson who said Dr Melissa McCullough’s conclusions are “totally irrational, do not stand up to scrutiny and are subjective”.

“The standards set by the former standards commissioner will not bode well for political engagement, for freedom of speech, for our ability to speak about public services or public institutions, our ability to praise or criticise.

“It has a chilling effect on how public representatives engage in public discourse and I don’t think it can stand”, the DUP leader said.

However, opposition leader Matthew O’Toole has called for Mr Lyons to quit. The SDLP MLA said the DUP “feel that they are above any form of accountability”

The chair of Stormont’s communities committee, Sinn Fein’s Colm Gildernew, says MLAs could bring a motion of no confidence to the Assembly on the matter. That would require cross-community support, but is unlikely to get unionist backing.

Responding to the ruling, Gordon Lyons has accused the commissioner of failing to provide any evidence for her claim that his social media post had the potential of “heightening tensions and exacerbating an already contentious situation”.

The row relates to a Facebook post by Mr Lyons about the temporary relocation of immigrant families to a leisure centre in his constituency during race-related rioting in Northern Ireland last June.

He had said that a “number of individuals” had been temporarily moved to the site following violence in nearby Ballymena – and that neither he nor his DUP colleagues had been consulted, adding that the individuals had since been moved out of Larne.

The DUP MLA posted later that evening, condemning damage caused to the leisure centre in an arson attack. Complaints were subsequently lodged to the standards commissioner.

On Friday, her report was published – ruling that Mr Lyons had broken the ministerial code. It said: “His aim was to reassure (presumably his 8,000 Facebook followers) that those who had taken refuge at the centre the night before were no longer there.”

The commissioner said: “In my view and on the balance of probabilities, the post likely had the opposite effect. Rather than defusing the situation, it may have heightened tensions and contributed to further unrest.”

In his response to the report, the DUP minister said this was “purely conjecture and a personal opinion rather than based on fact”. He also accused Dr McCullough of expressing unsubstantiated opinions over her view that the first social media post “included no expression of empathy”.

Pointing to his later social media post saying the violence and disorder “serves no purpose” – Mr Lyons said the “holistic view” of his communications was “clearly and perhaps intentionally ignored”.

The standards report also said that ministers are “expected to lead with compassion, particularly in times of crisis”.

“Demonstrating empathy is not a courtesy; it is a fundamental part of responsible leadership. In moments of distress, the public looks to those in authority for reassurance and humanity. That was missing here, and it matters”, the report concluded.

But the East Antrim MLA accused Dr McCullough of imposing a “retrospective empathy test” – which he called “arbitrary” and beyond her remit.

The report further criticised the minister’s first social media post for implying that he and the DUP would have opposed the temporary housing of people fleeing the violence at the leisure centre.

“This could inadvertently sow mistrust in public institutions and shift the focus from a humanitarian response to a political grievance. At a time when unity and public confidence were critical, this approach risked deepening division rather than supporting community cohesion” the commissioner ruled. Mr Lyons said she had “indulged in giving her view but has provided no evidence to support her claims”.

In the hours after the post, the DUP minister faced criticism from political rivals and calls for his resignation. Addressing this in her report, the commissioner rejected his view that it was a “political pile-on”. She said he had “invited criticism” as the post “lacked empathy and failed to prioritise public safety and community cohesion in a time of crisis”.

Mr Lyons hit back at this criticism, saying it is not the role of the standards commissioner “to determine the credibility of political points or positions” – adding that political criticism “does not prove misconduct”.

Dr McCullough was in post until September 2025 – and has also served as the Commissioner for Standards for Jersey since March 2023.