Jim Allister accuses government of giving ‘preferential treatment’ to Finucane family

​TUV leader North Antrim MP Jim Allister, speaking after the Secretary of State’s announcement that there would be a public inquiry into the Pat Finucane murder, said:

“Never in the history of dealing with the legacy of thirty years of terror has a family been given more preferential handling by the Government than the Finucane family.

“No one else has received Prime Ministerial apologies, multiple investigations, inquires and now an uncapped public inquiry – in spite of the fact that the family had previously rejected that very thing!

“The tragic take away from today is that for innocent victims of terrorists - whether they suffered at the hands of Republicans or Loyalists – the legacy bodies are good enough.

“However, they aren’t good enough for the Finucane family. This odious hierarchy of victims will leave a bitter taste with many.”

In the House of Commons, Secretary of State Hilary Benn told Mr Allister he was not perpetuating an “odious hierarchy”.

“From the beginning [of the debate] I set out my thought process and he will have an opportunity to read my statement subsequently. The reasons why I’ve reached this decision were clearly set out by me.

“It is a fact that when the then-Prime Minister David Cameron apologised from this dispatch box, it was unprecedented. It was.

“Because he referred to shocking collusion in this case – and we should take that extremely seriously – as members of this house, all of us, who are committed to upholding our obligations.

“And faced with the circumstances of two promises to establish public inquiries – and I accept what he [Mr Allister] says about why it didn’t happen after 2004 because of the stance that the Finucane family then took, which has now changed. But also because of the decision of the Supreme Court in 2019 that said for all that has gone before, I’m afraid the state has not complied with its Article 2 obligations – we will now be doing so”.