Good Friday Agreement at 25: Key UUP negotiator bewildered by claim that Ian Paisley's DUP was 'not completely opposed to 1998 deal'

Lord Empey, who had been a key aide to David Trimble at the time the Belfast Agreement was drawn up, told the News Letter that this is the first time that he can remember a DUP figure making such a statement, and added that he “didn’t recognise” Mr Shannon’s recollection of events.

Mr Shannon has been a DUP representative since the mid-1980s when he was a councillor.

He then went on to be an MLA, and is now MP for Strangford.

During a (very poorly-attended) debate in the Commons on the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement on Thursday, Mr Shannon told the MPs present that “the truth is the DUP was never completely opposed to the Good Friday Agreement”.

He said “it always contained significant elements we supported like power-sharing and cross-community consent".

"The reason why the DUP could not support the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, however, is it involved the release from prison of murderers,” he continued.

"But that did not mean we did not support the rest of the Good Friday Agreement.”

He also praised the “seminal” St Andrew’s Agreement of 2006, which he said made the 1998 deal "even better".

At the time of the 1998 referendum, DUP leader Ian Paisley had urged voters: "You have the opportunity to save Ulster for the Union and for your offspring by voting ‘No’.

"Stand up for Ulster! Stand up for your children and your heritage! Stand up for your children and your children’s children!

"Let the world know that the Ulster people will not be bullied, bribed or butchered into accepting fascist rule!”

Read Mr Shannon’s remarks, and see original anti-GFA literature from the DUP, here:

Good Friday Agreement at 25: DUP MP says 'we were never completely against 1998 deal and it is proper to celebrate it today'

Responding to Mr Shannon’s comments, Lord Empey told the News Letter: “It’s new light from an old window.

"It’s not the message we were getting at the time, [with] the abuse that was being hurled at people. The campaign against it was very substantial.

“Let me put it to you this way – a number of senior DUP people would’ve known that getting an agreement was probably a good thing, but they decided they didn’t want to take any responsibility for it, and let somebody else do the dirty work.

"But I never read into their reaction what I’m reading from Jim [in the reports of his Commons comments].

"I didn’t recognise in Jim’s statements what I believe to have been their approach at the time. I just don’t know where he’s coming from. I haven’t seen anybody else from his party express those views over the years.

"I don’t recognise in what Jim said what happened at the time. I just don’t understand where he’s coming from to be honest.”

The St Andrew’s deal of 2006 modified the 1998 agreement so that, instead of the Assembly electing a First Minister and a deputy, they would be appointed by the biggest party and second biggest, respectively.

“The outcome of St Andrew’s was it has allowed Sinn Fein to be first-minister-designate,” added Lord Empey.

"Whereas had they left the agreement as we negotiated it, it would be Sir Jeffrey or his nominee would’ve been first minister. The only practical outworking of it is Sinn Fein became first minister. I can’t say that’s much of an achievement.”

More from this reporter:

Troubles amnesty: ‘Sinn Fein’s Rita O’Hare – a fugitive who’s gone on to enjoy a glowing US career including snaps with Joe Biden’