William Hay’s Lordsseat a richly deserved honour: Campbell

The DUP East Londonderry MP Gregory Campbell says his long-serving colleague William Hay’s elevation to the House of Lords is a richly deserved honour.

Mr Campbell, who served alongside Mr Hay on Derry City Council for many years, also concurred with the former Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly, in declaring that he envisaged his colleague would be travelling to Westminster to work hard for the people of Londonderry.

“William is richly deserving of this honour and I know people right across the spectrum will respond warmly to his elevation as Lord Hay of Ballyore,” said Mr Campbell.

The senior DUP figure, who intends joining Mr Hay in London tomorrow as he officially takes his seat added: “He will be very much coming along as a part of the DUP parliamentary team and I know he will be a very hard working peer working alongside myself and our other MPs.”

Speaking about his elevation Mr Hay told the Sentinel: “It’s something I’m looking forward to. It’s another door opening for me...I see myself very much as a working peer, sitting on the crossbenches. I won’t be aligning myself with any political party.”

He added: “I didn’t think, when I started almost 40 years ago in politics, that some day I’d be sitting in the House of Lords but for me it has been a roller coaster journey...politics has been reasonably good to me. I’ve never lost an election, so I just genuinely want to give something back.”