Tag Archives: Northern Ireland

The Daily Beast reports: A British lawmaker was criticized after bizarrely likening gray squirrels to Hamas during a debate Tuesday. Jim Shannon, a member of Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party, spoke in Westminster about a debate over controlling the U.K.’s gray squirrel population. After praising a local group working to protect red squirrels in his constituency, Shannon said: “Gray squirrels …

CNN reports: The terrorism threat level in Northern Ireland has been raised from “substantial” to “severe” just days before a potential visit to the country by US President Joe Biden, but the White House has said the change won’t alter his plans. The decision to raise the threat level to “severe,” meaning an attack is highly likely, was made by …

The Associated Press reports: The Irish nationalist party Sinn Fein, which seeks unification with Ireland, hailed a “new era” Saturday for Northern Ireland as it captured the largest number of seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly for the first time in a historic win. With almost all votes counted from Thursday’s local U.K. election, Sinn Fein secured 27 of the …

The Irish Times reports: Joe Biden will press Boris Johnson to resolve Britain’s dispute with the European Union over the Northern Ireland Protocol when they meet in Cornwall on Thursday ahead of a summit of G7 leaders. The meeting comes amid signs that talks between London and Brussels are close to collapse, with the EU warning it will retaliate with …

The Associated Press reports: Crowds from Protestant and Catholic communities hurled bricks, fireworks and gasoline bombs at police and each other overnight in Belfast, as a week of street violence escalated. Police and politicians tried Thursday to calm the volatile situation in Northern Ireland, where Britain’s exit from the European Union has unsettled an uneasy political balance. The focus of …

RTE news reports: Two Belfast women have become the first same-sex partners to get married in Northern Ireland. Robyn Peoples, 26, and Sharni Edwards, 27, tied the knot at 2pm in Carrickfergus, just outside Belfast, following the landmark law change last year championed by the Love Equality campaign. “We didn’t expect to be the first couple, it’s coincidental,” said Ms …

The Independent reports: Boris Johnson is stepping up work on his plan to build a £20 billion bridge between Scotland and Northern Ireland, despite experts dismissing it as “clueless” and “bonkers”. A “proper piece of work” is under way in Whitehall, his spokesman said, arguing it proved the prime minister is “ambitious in terms of infrastructure projects”. “This is an …

The BBC reports: From Monday, same-sex couples will be able to register to marry, meaning the first ceremonies will take place in February. For couples who are already married, their marriage will now be legally recognised in Northern Ireland. However, those who are already in a civil partnership will not be able to convert it to a marriage at this …

The Irish Post reports: Same-sex marriage and abortion are set to become legal in Northern Ireland for the first time. The changes are the result of amendments to a routine Commons Bill on the governance of Northern Ireland tabled by Labour Party backbenchers Conor McGinn and Stella Creasy. McGinn put forward a proposal calling for Westminster to legislate for same-sex …

The Guardian reports: MPs have voted resoundingly to extend same-sex marriage to Northern Ireland, a plan the government has said it will honour despite ministerial doubts. The Commons voted 383 to 73 to pass the amendment to a largely technical bill on the stalled Northern Ireland assembly, tabled by the Labour MP Conor McGinn [photo], a longstanding campaigner for equal …

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 …

The BBC reports: The Christian owners of a Northern Ireland bakery have won their appeal in the so-called “gay cake” discrimination case. The UK’s highest court ruled that Ashers bakery’s refusal to make a cake with a slogan supporting same-sex marriage was not discriminatory. The five justices on the Supreme Court were unanimous in their judgement. The high-profile dispute began …

Belfast Live reports: Politicians have been urged “to do the right thing” by thousands of people who joined a rally in Belfast this afternoon calling for equal marriage. The march, which was organised by the Love Equality campaign, was led from Writer’s Square by Belfast Lord Mayor Nuala McAllister and Patrick Corrigan, from Amnesty International. Supporters lined the streets as …

The Belfast Telegraph reports: A bid to introduce same-sex marriage in Northern Ireland has been blocked from progressing the legislative process in the House of Commons. MP Conor McGinn [photo] had brought a private member’s bill forward seeking to extend same-sex marriage into Northern Ireland following the collapse of the devolved government more than 15 months ago. He had expected …

The Guardian reports: A bakery run by evangelical Christians is to launch a fresh attempt to overturn a £500 award made against it for refusing to bake a cake promoting same-sex marriage. Ashers bakery, which has branches in Northern Ireland and is financially supported by the Christian Institute, is taking its claim to the Supreme Court on Tuesday, which is …

The Irish Times reports: MPs have voted to give a second reading to a bill that would give same-sex couples in Northern Ireland the right to marry. Introducing the bill in the House of Commons on Wednesday, South Armagh-born Labour MP Conor McGinn said he was doing so “with reluctance and some disappointment”. He added: “This measure is long overdue. …

The Belfast Telegraph reports: A bill aimed at legalising same-sex marriage in Northern Ireland is set to go before the House of Commons next week. The Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Northern Ireland Bill will be tabled by Labour MP Conor McGinn [photo] on Wednesday. It will be introduced under the Ten Minute Rule, which allows for an MP to make …

The Belfast Telegraph reports: Three senior unionists who were involved in establishing power-sharing at Stormont 20 years ago have called for a referendum on issues currently causing deadlock in the talks. These include whether there should be a stand-alone Irish Language Act for Northern Ireland, same-sex marriage laws and our abortion laws. Former Ukip MLA David McNarry, ex-Ulster Unionist chairman …

The Belfast Telegraph reports: A high court judge in Belfast has ruled the ban on same-sex marriage in Northern Ireland is lawful. Mr Justice O’Hara ruled on two separate cases that were heard together due to the similarities of the arguments. Both cases were rejected by the Judge, insisting the ban did not violate the rights of LGBT couples in …

Reuters reports: Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar attended a gay rights event on Saturday during his first official visit to Northern Ireland, upsetting some social conservatives in the only region of the United Kingdom where same-sex marriage is still illegal. Varadkar, who became Ireland’s first openly gay leader when he took office in June, joined activists preparing for Northern Ireland’s …