Politics

Gavin Robinson expected to beat Robin Swann to final NI Select Committee place

DUP leader will be sole unionist representative on Westminster committee

In a speech DUP leader Gavin Robinson said his party would continue to hold Sinn Fein to account
DUP leader Gavin Robinson. PICTURE: BRIAN LAWLESS/PA (Brian Lawless/PA)
By John Manley, Politics Correspondent

Gavin Robinson has emerged as favourite to secure the thirteenth and final place on Westminster’s Northern Ireland Select Committee.

Twelve members of the committee chaired by Labour’s Tonia Antoniazzi were confirmed earlier this week but alarm was raised among unionists because it included no representatives from the DUP, UUP or TUV.

SDLP MP Claire Hanna and her Alliance counterpart Sorcha Eastwood are among the confirmed members of the committee, which includes seven Labour MPs, two Conservatives and one Liberal Democrat.

Ms Hanna is thought to have secured her seat with Labour support, while Ms Eastwood was backed by the Lib-Dems.

South Antrim MP Robin Swann said racist attacks would ‘not be tolerated in the Antrim community’
South Antrim MP Robin Swann. PICTURE: LIAM MCBURNEY/PA (Liam McBurney/PA)

The Irish News understands that Mr Robinson’s exclusion from the select committee was down to an administrative error, however, Ulster Unionist MP Robin Swann is also believed to have been canvassing support for his own inclusion as late as Wednesday.

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Former UUP leader Steve Aiken told The Irish News that he remained hopeful Mr Swann would be selected.

“It does seem strange that the SDLP and Alliance got a seat and a unionist didn’t,” the South Antrim MLA said.

“I’ve no issue with that but it’s important to have representative voices from across Northern Ireland and obviously we would like see Robin Swann on the committee.”

But it looks increasingly likely that the former Stormont health minister has lost out to the DUP leader.

Mr Robinson’s name wasn’t on the order paper for Monday and therefore his nomination didn’t go before the committee on Wednesday.

The East Belfast MP, who despite not being a ratified committee member attended Wednesday’s Westminster meeting, is expected to have his membership confirmed next week.

His position as the sole unionist on the committee contrasts sharply with the DUP’s previous prominence, reflecting its electoral decline and that of its once close Tory allies.

In the 2017-2019 parliament, at the beginning of which the DUP signed a confidence and supply deal with Theresa May’s Conservative government, the party was represented on the committee by Gregory Campbell, Ian Paisley and Jim Shannon, while independent unionist Lady Sylvia Hermon was also a member.