By Adam Kula

Copyright newsletter

Gavin Robinson said that whilst Mr Best had been violent towards women and was a “flawed” character, his sporting accomplishments had “inspired” many. Mr Robinson was speaking to the BBC after plans were unveiled for how the airport will look in 2040, with the late footballer’s name conspicuously absent. According to media reports, the airport is not planning to remove his name – though this has not quashed speculation that such a move is on the cards. Best’s nine-year marriage to his wife Alex (nee Pursey) was said to have been marked by drunken violence. A 2003 piece in the Irish Independent by Best’s ghostwriter Roy Collins, who said he lived with the Bests for weeks at a time while researching his autobiography Blessed, said they “had some spectacular rows, occasionally descending into violence”. He wrote: “A couple of years ago, for example, Alex appeared in public with cuts and bruises on her face. George dismissed the incident to a reporter with a so-what shrug. Yet Alex was far from a downtrodden punchbag and would give as good as she got.” When asked whether Mr Best’s name should be stripped off the airport on the BBC’s Sunday Politics show, Mr Robinson said: “Look, we are very proud of George Best. George Best is someone who inspired generation after generation within our society through sport… “He was a flawed individual, and he was violent against women, and I wouldn’t justify that at all.” He added that he will “engage with the airport” about their 2040 vision. Asked again about a name change, Mr Robinson said “it is something that I would engage with the City Airport with around,” adding that “many people visit our constituency who come to east Belfast because they venerate the sporting aspects of his life, but they don’t defend the other”.