Bobby Storey: Michelle O’Neill apologizes over coronavirus inquiry

First Minister Michelle O’Neill has apologized for attending the funeral of former Sinn Féin leader Bobby Storey.

Mr O’Neill served as Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland from 2020 to 2022, during which time the coronavirus pandemic began.

She was jointly responsible for leading the Northern Ireland Executive’s response alongside the then First Minister Arlene Foster.

“My actions caused more hurt and angered my family. I am sorry for not going and I am sorry for the hurt caused.”

Mr O’Neill had previously apologized for the hurt caused by his actions and for undermining public health messages, but not for his attendance. She once said that she “never apologizes for attending her friend’s funeral.”

When asked by the chair, Baroness Hallett, if she was aware of the hurt and anger at the time, Ms O’Neill replied: “I was not, and I should have been.”

Minutes of an executive meeting after the funeral revealed a memo from Ms. O’Neill in which she asked her senior colleagues to “dissociate their own actions from their views of Mr. Storey.”

Ms O’Neill said she was honored to be invited by her family to attend and said Mr Storey was a great man and that thousands of people would want to attend.

She said people vote with their feet, but it does not dilute the public message and was not meant to be offensive.

In those minutes, his party colleague Conor Murphy said the rules had been relaxed and people had a right to be heard.

Written by Jayne McCormack, BBC News NI Political Correspondent

Michelle O’Neill is facing her toughest days yet on the political front.

Since taking the top job at Stormont University, she has positioned herself as a “first minister for everyone”, but within minutes of taking the oath, amid an unprecedented health crisis, she He has come under pressure from an investigation into his leadership as Deputy First Minister. .

The political fallout from Bobby Storey’s funeral is well-documented, and we know it negatively affected relationships around the executive table.

Ms O’Neill apologized at the time for the hurt her actions had caused, but was also recorded as saying earlier that she would “never apologize for attending a friend’s funeral”.

Now, almost four years later, she’s gone a step further and apologized for it.

But she went on to say that was the only time she felt her leadership was inadequate during the pandemic, despite the impact it had on people’s compliance with the rules.

Whether those actions ruin everything else about her will be a question she faces repeatedly during today’s interrogation.

Britain’s Coronavirus Investigation Agency revealed a message exchange in which Baroness Foster accused Mr O’Neill of publicly insulting Health Secretary Robin Swann.

The message was shared on March 21, 2020, with Baroness Foster saying the Deputy First Minister was “playing politics at a time when things are so serious”.

She added in her message that she was “very disappointed but not surprised.”

Mr O’Neill said the message did not reflect any difference in how governments around the world were trying to “deal with and overcome this situation”.

When Claire Dobbin (KC), the inquiry’s lead solicitor, accused Michelle O’Neill of political activity by her and other senior colleagues, O’Neill replied: “I would never accept that.” I object.”

She said the WhatsApp message exchanges showed the difficulties they were having.

The lawyer suggested that this could hardly be called a “mature discussion” between the two leaders. O’Neill said it showed one exchange at one point.

Mr O’Neill said the pandemic was a “disastrous time for all decision-makers”.

He said in the early weeks executives were “overly reliant on the health approach” and said lessons should be learned going forward.

When asked whether it would be too easy to say that this is the Ministry of Health’s response and that the Ministry is taking the lead.

Ms O’Neill responded that it was a “real situation”.

O’Neill said school closures are “too serious to sit around and do nothing about.”

She said she spoke out about school closures “to save lives.”

Ms O’Neill said schools were closed in the Republic of Ireland and the people of Northern Ireland were in turmoil.

She said the two-island approach “was much more beneficial to us.”

Ms O’Neill said the closure was the first major decision taken collectively by the executive branch.

She said the closure was a collective decision by management, although advice had been taken from the chief medical officer.