Statement 'major step towards removal of MI5'

Tony Blair’s declaration that MI5 will operate completely separate from police in the North is a major step towards forcing the security service out north and south of the border, Sinn Féin claimed today.

After the British Prime Minister issued a statement on how the new security arrangements would affect the North, emphasising clear division between the agencies, Gerry Adams’s party described it as a major success for its negotiations.