Nationalist mayor faces censure motion

Belfast’s nationalist Lord Mayor was today facing a censure motion against him, following his boycott of events involving a British government minister.

Democratic Unionists on Belfast City Council confirmed they had tabled a motion to be debated next week, condemning SDLP Lord Mayor Martin Morgan for announcing that he was snubbing all public functions involving Northern Ireland Office Minister John Spellar.

The SDLP Mayor of Derry, Shaun Gallagher, has also declared his intention to boycott events involving Mr Spellar, in a dispute over the British army’s refusal to dismiss two Scots Guards convicted of killing Belfast teenager Peter McBride in 1992.

Mr Spellar is being singled out because he sat on an army board which retained Guardsmen James Fisher and Mark Wright.

DUP councillor Sammy Wilson said their motion at Belfast City Hall condemned Mr Morgan for adopting “a narrow, blatantly political, sectarian policy”.

The East Belfast councillor said: “The Lord Mayor’s action is about something affecting his own constituency and we are calling on him to rethink what he has done.

“As Social Development Minister John Spellar is in charge of a very important government department for our city. We are talking about money for community groups and European Union Peace money.

“We cannot afford to cut off contact with the minister just because the Lord Mayor has a constituency grievance.”

The DUP motion is expected to be supported by the Ulster Unionists and loyalist councillors.

However, its success will hinge on the votes of three cross community Alliance Party councillors who hold the balance of power on the council.

While it would not result in any penalty against the mayor, unionists believe it would be a severe embarrassment for him to lose the vote.

On assuming office earlier this year Mr Morgan said he wanted to represent both communities in Belfast and he vowed to work in partnership with all the political parties within City Hall.

Peter McBride was shot in the back after he was stopped by a British army patrol in the New Lodge area of Belfast in 1992.

Guardsmen Fisher and Wright said they believed at the time he was carrying a bomb, but no device was found.

The pair were jailed in 1995 for life for his murder but were released three years later and were allowed to rejoin their regiment.

Two months ago the Court of Appeal in Belfast ruled that the guardsmen should not have been allowed back, but stopped short of ordering the British army to dismiss them.

Mr McBride’s family and nationalists have contrasted the treatment of the Scots Guardsmen to that of Major Charles Ingram, who was kicked out of the British army for cheating on the ITV quiz show, Who Wants to be a Millionaire?

Mr Wilson said today: “Martin Morgan said that he wanted to work in partnership for the city when he was elected and all of that stuff is going to be quoted back at him.

“He can choose to ignore the motion of censure if it is passed but it will be a very embarrassing defeat for him.

“It will certainly have damaged him in unionist eyes.

“We would be fairly confident that the motion next Tuesday will succeed but we are not taking everything for granted, particularly with the Ulster Unionists.”

A motion condemning links between the Provisional IRA and Basque terrorists will also be debated at City Hall next week.

Last month Mr Morgan was yards away from an Eta bomb attack while holidaying in Spain.