Calls made for public inquiry into Stormont revelations

THERE were widespread calls last night for a public inquiry into the increasingly tangled web of intrigue surrounding the 2002 suspension of the Northern Assembly after Sinn Féin accused their chief Stormont administrator of having been a British spy for the last 20 years.

Denis Donaldson was one of three Sinn Féin members arrested in October 2002 over allegations he was part of a Republican spy ring at Stormont. All three, however, were last week acquitted after the Crown Prosecution Service dropped the case against them.

But claims by Sinn Féin that Mr Donaldson has admitted to being a British agent were last night followed by calls for an explanation from the British authorities. Ulster Unionist Party leader Sir Reg Empey asked for an immediate meeting with British officials.