Secretary of State welcomes O’Neill intention to attend Remembrance service

Secretary of State Hilary Benn has welcomed First Minister Michelle O’Neill’s stated intention to attend a Remembrance Sunday event in Belfast.

Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly offered no comment on the move – which will be the first time a senior Sinn Fein figure will attend such an event in Northern Ireland – saying the focus should be on Remembrance Sunday.

In an interview with the PA news agency earlier this week, Ms O’Neill said her attendance was a demonstration of her determination to fulfil her pledge to be a “First Minister for all”.

The First Minister said she appreciated some republicans would be “uncomfortable” with her being there, but insisted it was nevertheless the “right thing to do”.

Speaking to media in Cookstown, Co Tyrone, on Wednesday, Mr Benn said he “very much welcomes the decision by the First Minister”.

He said: “Remembrance Sunday is about the whole of society remembering the sacrifice of our ancestors and there is barely a family in the United Kingdom that hasn’t been touched by loss or injury in the First and Second World Wars, and the conflicts that have happened since, and we come together to recall the sacrifice of those who fought so hard so we can enjoy the freedom that we have today, and that is worth remembering always.”

Ms O’Neill, who will lay a laurel wreath at the Cenotaph in Belfast in her role as First Minister, is to attend the event with DUP deputy First Minister Ms Little-Pengelly.

Asked for her view on the move, Ms Little-Pengelly said: “For me, Remembrance Sunday is all about that focus on those who gave so much, many, many thousands, of course, who gave all and made the ultimate sacrifice, but almost all those that were injured over the many decades and of course those many tens of thousands who mourn the loss of their loved ones.

“So, for me, Remembrance Sunday is very much about focusing on remembering those who gave so much and, of course, it will be a huge honour to be there to lay a wreath on behalf of the people of Northern Ireland in my role as deputy First Minister.”

Asked whether she welcomed that Ms O’Neill would be attending, Ms Little-Pengelly said: “The focus of this weekend will of course be on remembering those who gave so much. It is Remembrance Sunday and, of course, we all must remember what the focus of this weekend is all about.”