Baroness Hoey accused the government of sending out a message that it does not believe that Sir Declan Morgan could handle the Pat Finucane case through the new Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery, which he leads.

The body was set up under the last government’s Legacy Act to investigate Troubles-related murders, and Labour have pledged to keep it.

The former Labour minister told peers “I do not understand why this could not have been sent, as it should have been, to the ICRIR. This is sending out a message that the Government do not believe that Sir Declan Morgan could handle the case, and that is very sad indeed”.

Baroness Anderson, the government whip in the Lords, said “there is no hierarchy of pain or justice” and added that the decision was “the fulfilment of our commitment made at Weston Park 23 years ago—many years before the establishment of the commission and the appointment of Sir Declan Morgan”.

Baroness Kate Hoey has accused the government of undermining the new ICRIR body run by Sir Declan Morgan by announcing yet another probe into the murder of Pat Finucane.

placeholder image — Baroness Kate Hoey has accused the government of undermining the new ICRIR body run by Sir Declan Morgan by announcing yet another probe into the murder of Pat Finucane.

DUP peer Lord Dodds said the “unnecessary” inquiry into the “shocking, disgraceful” murder of Pat Finucane highlights the hypocrisy of Sinn Fein and the Irish government in relation to other lawyers and judges murdered by republicans.

Also speaking in a House of Lords debate about the government’s decision to grant an inquiry into Mr Finucane’s killing, the former North Belfast MP highlighted “all the victims in Northern Ireland and elsewhere who have had no inquiry, no truth and no justice”.

He asked peers to bear in mind others murdered because of their professions.

“When thinking of human rights lawyers, judges and others in the legal profession, I want to put on record that the IRA and Sinn Féin, which has been mentioned, and its MPs—every single one of them—refuse to condemn the murder of judges, politicians and people in civil society.

Lord Dodds of Duncairn has says no truth and no justice has been delivered for many victims.

“The hypocrisy of the Irish Government too has been uncovered, in that they refuse to have public inquiries into, for instance, the murder of Ian Sproule in Castlederg”.

He said the “unnecessary inquiry” would prompt thousands of innocent victims to ask “Where is our inquiry? Where is the spotlight on our grief?”.