Parades Commission 'has been caught out and should now bow out' - Jim Allister calls for resignations over Drumcree court case

Jim Allister says the Parades Commission has been “caught out” and now needs to bow out – after its decision making processes over the Drumcree were laid bare in court.

The TUV MP said it will be a test of the new Secretary of State Sir Chris Bryant as to whether he will be “even handed” in his dealings in Northern Ireland.

placeholder image — A decision by the Parades Commission to impose restrictions on one of the most contentious parades in Northern Ireland has been quashed in the High Court. It follows a legal challenge brought by a member of the Orange Order over its annual parade at Drumcree outside Portadown. The commission had banned this year's parade from entering the mainly nationalist Garvaghy Road - a move which reflected every decision it has made since 1998. It has been claimed the case may pave the way for a future parade on the road being permitted. However, it would require a new decision based on a fresh application.

The high court was told that a determination on the contested parade in Portadown had not been considered in its “final form” by all members of the commission.

Speaking outside court, Mr Allister said Sir Chris cannot look the other way “on this pernicious, malevolent, Parades Commission”.

“He must act, he must act now. If they don’t do the right thing themselves, and write their own resignations, then he needs to give each one of them their P45. And this province will be the better as a result”, the North Antrim MP said.

Ulster Unionist Party Chair Lord Tom Elliott welcomed the judgment in the Drumcree parading challenge, describing it as a vindication of Portadown District LOL No. 1 after twenty-eight years of peaceful and lawful campaigning.

A Parades Commission spokesperson said: “The decision of the High Court does not affect any future considerations and decisions by the Commission of future parades or protests. Any such notifications will be considered carefully and a decision made on the basis of all of the information available and in light of the legal framework.

“The Commission has already implemented procedural changes to address the issue identified in the proceedings and will continue, as a learning organisation, to ensure that its processes are lawful and appropriate.

“As a public authority, the Commission welcomes scrutiny and accountability. The Commission will continue to discharge its statutory functions and also learn the lessons required from this case. Appointments to the Commission are a matter for the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

“The Commission would once again urge all of those involved in the parading dispute at Drumcree to make every effort to seek a mutually agreeable and durable resolution”.