UK Spent £318 On LGBT Rights In Northern Ireland

Britain’s Channel 4 reports:

Two years ago Prime Minister Theresa May gave Ruth Davidson a promise. The UK government would use its influence to advance LGBT rights in Northern Ireland – despite considering Gay Marriage and Abortion to be devolved issues. That promise helped secure Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson’s decision to back Theresa May’s £1 billion deal with the Democratic Unionists, who are staunch opponents of gay marriage and abortion.

Now, a Freedom of Information request by Channel 4 News reveals that the government’s Northern Ireland Office has so far spent just £318 on advancing LGBT right, paying for rainbow-coloured lanyards. For the friends of the murdered journalist Lyra McKee, herself a prominent LGBT campaigner, this has provoked shock and anger. Talking to Channel 4 News they say they feel “worthless” by this revelation and that they believe absolutely nothing has been achieved to advance gay rights in Northern Ireland.

Two years ago Ruth Davidson said she supported the Tory’s DUP deal because the PM assured her it would further LGBTI rights.

Tonight, the Scottish Tory leader responds to a #C4News investigation revealing that spending on LGBTI rights by the Northern Ireland Office is only £318. pic.twitter.com/VwR5ejZ7ko

— Channel 4 News (@Channel4News) May 17, 2019

Lyra McKee’s friends feel ‘worthless’ after Northern Ireland Office spends just £318 spent on LGBT rights https://t.co/CcADFa6X3p

— Channel 4 News (@Channel4News) May 17, 2019