Northern Ireland

Barry McElduff continues constituency work despite suspension over Kingsmill tweet

Barry McElduff plans to continue constituency work
Barry McElduff plans to continue constituency work Barry McElduff plans to continue constituency work

SUSPENDED MP Barry McElduff is continuing to carry out constituency work from his Omagh office.

Less than 72 hours after being sanctioned by his party for a controversial social media post, the Sinn Féin representative was behind his desk and dealing with constituents' issues.

The revelation is expected to prompt a further wave of criticism over Sinn Féin's handling of the deeply embarrassing episode.

Mr McElduff was handed a three-month suspension on Monday for tweeting a video in which he balanced a Kingsmill loaf on his head.

He posted the video on the 42nd anniversary of the Kingsmill massacre in which ten Protestant workmen were killed.

The abstentionist West Tyrone MP later apologised for the tweet and insisted he did not intend to cause offence.

Amid widespread outcry, Sinn Féin northern leader Michelle O'Neill described the video as "ill-judged" and "indefensible".

But the sanction imposed on Mr McElduff was widely criticised for its leniency. Alan Black, the sole survivor of the 1976 atrocity, rejected the apology and called on the MP to resign, while concern was voiced across the political spectrum.

However, it now appears that while he is suspended from all party activity, including being barred from voting in next month's Sinn Féin leadership election, the West Tyrone representative is continuing to carry out constituency work.

The Irish News understands that Mr McElduff has accepted his suspension from the party but plans to continue his work as an MP.

DUP deputy leader Nigel Dodds last night claimed the West Tyrone MP's actions were part of a "wider attitude of disrespect towards the victims of terrorism".

"The video was not so much an isolated incident but rather the clearest example of how Sinn Féin has treated those who suffered at the hands of the IRA," he said.

The North Belfast MP said Sinn Féin's northern leader had "offered a qualified apology" to the Kingsmill families.

"It related only to Barry McElduff’s video – does she apologise to the Kingsmill families for the act perpetrated by the IRA and condemn that sectarian and barbaric crime?" he said.