Robinson resumes devolution talks as first minister

PETER ROBINSON’s bid to face down unionist hardliners trying to block a deal on devolution with Sinn Féin was strengthened last night as he resumed the role of First Minister.

The DUP leader said a legal probe had cleared him of breaching the Belfast Assembly’s code of ethics over the financial scandal which engulfed his wife Iris Robinson and her teenage lover. Mr Robinson stepped down temporarily as First Minister after it emerged his wife secured £50,000 from property developers to help the 19 year old she was having an affair with set up his own cafe business.

Mr Robinson’s future as First Minister had been thrown into uncertainty by a BBC programme which claimed that in not reporting his wife Iris’s financial dealings to the relevant authorities, he had broken the code which governs Stormont politicians.