Irish state papers: Wilson says information on Stormontgate spy ring shows NIO 'as much an enemy' to unionists as Sinn Fein is

​Sammy Wilson says that revelations in newly-released Irish government papers, which show that Dublin officials believed that a former NI Secretary of State sought to keep details of a republican spy scandal from the public, show a default position of not wanting to “upset Sinn Fein too much”.

The Northern Ireland Office (NIO) has always denied accusations of political bias from unionists and nationalists alike, saying that it works on behalf of all of the people here.

Minutes from a phone call between former NI secretary John Reid and the Republic's foreign affairs minister Brian Cowen are among documents recently unsealed by the Irish government, and seen by the PA news agency.

The conversation took place on the day of the ‘Stormontgate’ police raid on Sinn Fein’s Assembly offices in October 2002.

The Irish officials’ note of the meeting says that the secretary of state was keen to focus on the NIO aspect of the case as it was less damaging than a focus on the police raid of Sinn Fein’s Stormont offices.

They also note that he was trying to keep information about the targeting of prison and police officers, politicians and civil servants out of the public domain.

In the minutes of the call, Mr Reid told Mr Cowen that the raid was “serious” and involved a “former employee of mine” - noted by the officials as the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) messenger.

Reacting to the reports, East Antrim MP Sammy Wilson said; “This is one of the reasons that unionists were always at a disadvantage. There’s a default position from the Northern Ireland Office and from the government – don’t upset Sinn Fein too much.

“Don’t expose them for what they are because it only reminds people who we’ve let into government.

“They’re despicable, from this point of view”.

Mr Wilson also accused the NIO of “running to the Irish government” and begging them not to make too much of the issues swirling around Sinn Fein.

“We should always remember this: the Northern Ireland Office is as big an enemy to unionists as Sinn Fein are, because they’re in cahoots with them. Their default position is that we will always protect Sinn Fein, even if it means burying some very very bad news for prison officers and police officers. And even if it means covering for things which are criminal activities”.

While the DUP’s attitude to the NIO has long been sceptical, the deal struck between the previous government and the party under Sir Jeffrey Donaldson’s leadership, appeared to show a warming of relations.

But as the promises made in the Safeguarding the Union deal quickly fell apart, and critics of the deal such as Sammy Wilson shifted the party’s position onto their ground, relations cooled once again.

However, such a blunt assessment from a senior DUP figure about the government’s wider role in politics here – and that of the NIO in particular – is unusual. It is unlikely such views – whether held privately or not – would be expressed in such terms by the DUP leader Gavin Robinson or those around him. However, the latest revelations will raise further questions about the government’s priorities.