Sinn Féin fury over threat to strip MPs of allowances

SINN FÉIN reacted with fury yesterday after the British Government announced that the party’s four MPs may be stripped of all Westminster allowances for a year as punishment for the Northern Bank heist.

Secretary of State Paul Murphy revealed proposals were in place to suspend republicans’ cash assistance as punishment for the £26.5 million robbery, blamed on the IRA.

He also confirmed a ban on Sinn Féin’s £120,000 Stormont Assembly grant for earlier IRA crime is to be extended for another 12 months.