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

Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly offered nary remark connected the determination – which volition beryllium the archetypal clip a elder Sinn Fein fig volition be specified an lawsuit successful Northern Ireland – saying the absorption should beryllium connected Remembrance Sunday.

In an interrogation with the PA quality bureau earlier this week, Ms O’Neill said her attendance was a objection of her determination to fulfil her pledge to beryllium a “First Minister for all”.

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

Speaking to media successful Cookstown, Co Tyrone, connected Wednesday, Mr Benn said helium “very overmuch welcomes the determination by the First Minister”.

He said: “Remembrance Sunday is astir the full of nine remembering the sacrifice of our ancestors and determination is hardly a household successful the United Kingdom that hasn’t been touched by nonaccomplishment oregon wounded successful the First and Second World Wars, and the conflicts that person happened since, and we travel unneurotic to callback the sacrifice of those who fought truthful hard truthful we tin bask the state that we person today, and that is worthy remembering always.”

Ms O’Neill, who volition laic a laurel wreath astatine the Cenotaph successful Belfast successful her relation arsenic First Minister, is to be the lawsuit with DUP lawman First Minister Ms Little-Pengelly.

Asked for her presumption connected the move, Ms Little-Pengelly said: “For me, Remembrance Sunday is each astir that absorption connected those who gave truthful much, many, galore thousands, of course, who gave each and made the eventual sacrifice, but astir each those that were injured implicit the galore decades and of people those galore tens of thousands who mourn the nonaccomplishment of their loved ones.

“So, for me, Remembrance Sunday is precise overmuch astir focusing connected remembering those who gave truthful overmuch and, of course, it volition beryllium a immense honour to beryllium determination to laic a wreath connected behalf of the radical of Northern Ireland successful my relation arsenic lawman First Minister.”

Asked whether she welcomed that Ms O’Neill would beryllium attending, Ms Little-Pengelly said: “The absorption of this play volition of people beryllium connected remembering those who gave truthful much. It is Remembrance Sunday and, of course, we each indispensable retrieve what the absorption of this play is each about.”