By Tony Grew - 9th January 2010
Strangford MP Iris Robinson has been expelled from the DUP will resign from the House of Commons and the Northern Ireland Assembly within days, a spokesman for the party has said.
The wife of the DUP leader, Northern Ireland first minister Peter Robinson, is at the centre of allegations of financial impropriety after it was revealed she had an affair with a man 40 years her junior.
"We wanted to show people we were acting decisively," the DUP spokesman said.
"There was no question about it, she had to go and go now.
"There was absolutely no sympathy for the position she found herself in."
The Robinsons were the subject of considerable sympathy from all sections of Northern Irish politics earlier this week when they revealed that Mrs Robinson had had a short affair and subsequently tried to commit suicide.
She had announced just after Christmas that she is to withdraw from public life due to mental illness.
However, on Thursday the BBC broadcast a documentary revealing that her lover, Kirk McCambley, now aged 21, had received £50,000 from Mrs Robinson to start a cafe business.
The affair began in the summer of 2008, when he was 19 and she was 59.
Mrs Robinson procured two loans of £50,000 from local developers and then passed the money to McCambley.
He claimed she later asked him for £5,000 "for herself" and demanded the entire loan back when the affair ended acrimoniously.
She did not declare the £50,000 in the register of members' interest at Westminster or in the Northern Ireland Asssembly, where she also represents Strangford.
The BBC also reported that Castlereagh Borough Council, where Mrs Robinson is a long-standing councillor, granted the tender to run the cafe, part of a new visitor's centre, to McCambley.
Peter Robinson, MP for Belfast East since 1979, "became aware of the money she had received from the developers" and pressured her into returning it, but did not inform the authorities.
It has been argued that he is obliged to act in the public interest by the ministerial code and should have reported his wife.
Mr Robinson has denied any wrongdoing and announced an inquiry by a senior QC, but his position has been described as "untenable" by several influential DUP members.
He has said he is going to stay with his wife despite her infidelity.
The Northern Ireland Secretary Shaun Woodward has said the scandal should not harm the devolved administation, in which the DUP share power with other parties, including Sinn Fein.
"It is a responsibility on everyone in the assembly to understand that the consequences of allowing the political process to slide would undoubtedly have an impact on the broader canvas," Woodward said.
"And that if anybody were to be selfish enough to think this is a moment when that can be allowed to be put in the deep freeze, even some may wish to unpick, they would be extremely irresponsible, foolish and would be playing very, very dangerous games."
Mrs Robinson has not appeared to answer questions, and her husband has claimed her mental illness means she is not able to do so.
"Both her solicitor and I have been unable to get any coherent responses," Peter Robinson said.
"I don't like doing this because you are dealing with somebody's mental illness but Iris has spent many weeks over the past year in a clinic for treatment.
"The solicitor was unable to take instructions from her because of her illness."
Yesterday the first minister he said there should be "no question of impropriety" and a senior lawyer "will be asked to look at the programme, to ask me any questions he or she wishes to ask, and to give an opinion as to what I should have disclosed or whether I have breached an obligation".
"I don't believe that I have done anything wrong," he said.
"I have acted properly at all times. I have subjected myself to investigation.
"I am prepared publicly to allow the outcome of that investigation to be known."
A Sinn Fein source said that deputy first minister Martin McGuinness "requested a legal opinion to be prepared by the departmental solicitor's office concerning any implications for the operations of the office of first minister and deputy first minister".
Under Assembly rules the DUP will nominate a replacement for Mrs Robinson - that process is expected to get under way next week.
A by-election is not expected to be called in her Westminster constituency because of the imminent general election.
Article Comments
What kind of severance package will Mrs. Robinson receive from Westminster, Stormont and for the council seat she held?
Kevin
9th Jan 2010 at 6:53 pm
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