By David Thompson

Copyright newsletter

Gavin Robinson MP in a speech to his party conference on Saturday tore into the Republic of Ireland for its handling of the past. Mr Robinson was speaking a day after the Northern Ireland Secretary, Hilary Benn, and the Irish deputy prime minister, Simon Harris, unveiled their new joint approach to investigating the legacy of the Troubles. Mr Benn announced a new Legacy Commission that will make changes to its oversight, after complaints from Irish nationalist politicians and human rights pressure groups, who claimed that the existing commission was insufficiently independent. Critics say that the new body will continue what they claim are lopsided examinations of allegations against the UK security forces. Mr Robinson, while recapping on DUP achievements at Stormont, told party delegates: “And we will continue to expose the myth that unionists would be welcome in a so-called united or new Ireland. The banquet-boycotting first minister thinks Londonderry should be a no-go area for members of our armed forces. Well, I have news for her – we will be a proud voice for unionists in the north west.” Mr Robinson said that the Irish government “claims neutrality but lectures the world over on human rights. And even then, they are happy to rely on the might of the UK’s armed forces and Nato for security and protection. “It should not surprise us that Simon Harris and others make moral pronouncements on Israel’s just war in Gaza.” Mr Robinson continued: “This is a state that was a proxy for Irish republican terrorism for decades – harbouring perpetrators, refusing to extradite them, failing to give answers to their victims. Is it any great shock, that they want to be pen pals with Hamas? The hypocrisy is breathtaking and to make it worse, it has been rewarded by our own secretary of state. “Rather than challenging Dublin on its failure to investigate its own sinister role in our troubled past – the UK government seems to want to placate them. To hand them greater influence over legacy cases here. “And all the while the Irish government takes them to court? It would be laughable if it wasn’t so serious.” Mr Robinson added: “The DUP will always defend the honourable service and sacrifice of members of our security forces.” The East Belfast MP also mentioned the Victims Payment Scheme, which is described by the government as a scheme to provide those living with permanent disablement, either physical, psychological or both, “caused by injury through no fault of their own in a Troubles-related incident”. He said: “We have delivered the Troubles pension. So far £106m has been provided to those who lives were irreparably changed through no fault of their own. Conference, the memory of those who made peace and progress possible will continue to spur us to make Northern Ireland work.” On Friday, Mr Benn, standing alongside Mr Harris at Hillsborough Castle, said: “Dealing with the legacy of the Troubles is hard, and that is why it has been for so long the unfinished business of the Good Friday Agreement.”