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Good morning John

I trust you had an enjoyable Easter break. I enjoyed a couple of days on the North Coast with Lindsay and Reuben. Although we encountered more than our fair share of April showers, the enduring beauty of that part of the world shone through regardless, and the chips and ice cream were as good as they always are! We are truly blessed to live in a such a beautiful corner of God’s creation.

Following the Easter break, I travelled to Omagh on Thursday, where I had the opportunity to meet with a cross-section of the local community, including farmers, business owners, and members of the Loyal Orders. Each conversation highlighted the hopes, plans, and challenges facing people as they try to make their contribution to make Northern Ireland work, and the clear determination to build a better future.

While walking through Omagh town centre alongside our local MLA Tom Buchanan, the memory of the appalling atrocity inflicted upon the town on 15 August 1998 was, as it always is during my visits, very much present in my thoughts. The Omagh bombing remains one of the darkest chapters in our recent history, and the pain it caused continues to be felt deeply by the families of the victims and by the wider community.

Only the day before my visit to Omagh, in Westminster, I raised this critical issue during a Northern Ireland Affairs Committee session. ([link removed]) I questioned Baroness Nuala O’Loan on the Irish Government’s continued failure to be fully open and transparent on the role played by the Republic in the lead up to that fateful day, and on the limitations of the current Memorandum of Understanding. It is unacceptable that the scope of that agreement does not allow for a thorough examination of the actions, or inactions, of the security services in the Republic of Ireland.

The pursuit of justice must be comprehensive and unflinching. This is not about assigning blame to any one jurisdiction; it is about ensuring that the full truth is uncovered, wherever it may lead. Reconciliation cannot be one-sided.

If it is to be meaningful, it must be rooted in transparency and accountability on all fronts.

The fact that the Omagh bomb was planned, assembled, and transported from across the border underscores the need for scrutiny of the role played, or missed, by authorities in the Republic. The families who lost loved ones, and those who continue to bear the scars of that day, deserve nothing less than the whole truth. Anything short of that compounds the injustice they have already endured.

I was genuinely perplexed when I watched the press conference following the BIIGC on Thursday. Hilary Benn stood mute whilst Simon Harris indicated he was negotiating legacy with "the British."

With such an abysmal record of their own, the Republic has no right to demand anything of the UK. They continue their callous quest to protect their own failings, whilst seeking to challenge our Government. In doing so, they assist in a morally corrupt rewriting of the past.

As with all innocent victims of the troubles, I remain committed to standing with the victims and survivors of Omagh in their quest for truth and justice. We owe it to them, and to future generations as we seek to build a Northern Ireland based on such values.

With best wishes,

Rt Hon Gavin Robinson MP

DUP Leader

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