Text messages raise ‘profound’ questions for the First Minister - TUV's Gaston
The release of private text messages between Michelle O’Neill and Paula Bradshaw raises “profound issues” for Northern Ireland’s first minister, according to the TUV’s Timothy Gaston.
The messages, released by the Executive Office after a Freedom of Information request by the News Letter, show Ms O’Neill made three attempts to contact Paula Bradshaw the night before a Stormont evidence session.
The Sinn Fein leader was due to face questions about her party’s handling of allegations against former press officer Michael McMonagle, who was subsequently convicted of child sex offences.
The text messages show the first minister attempting to influence the way the committee should be conducted – and requesting the committee’s legal advice.
Timothy Gaston, who sits on the committee led by Ms Bradshaw, told the News Letter: “Obviously this revelation raises major questions for the chair of the Executive Office Committee, Paula Bradshaw, but the issues for the First Minister are even more profound.
“They reveal that on at least three occasions Ms O’Neill bypassed official channels to contact Ms Bradshaw directly. We know from events since this scandal broke and before that the chairperson of the Executive Office Committee is unduly deferential to the First Minister and has repeatedly shown an unwillingness and perhaps even an inability to stand up to Ms O’Neill.
“It is clear that Ms O’Neill sought to exploit this situation by direct contact with Ms Bradshaw in the hours leading up to the meeting. We know that there was at least one attempt by the First Minister to phone Ms Bradshaw. Where there other successful attempts? How can we ever know for sure?”
The North Antrim MLA said that the News Letter’s revelations “open up yet more questions” – and says he intends to bring them to the attention of the standards commissioner at the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Paula Bradshaw has previously rejected allegations that she effectively allowed the first minister to chair the meeting – pointing to the questions she asked her, including on the role of the IRA army council over the NI Executive. She also criticised MLAs for failing to frame questions correctly.