Sickening’ Derry Bloody Sunday graffiti investigated as hate crime
‘PAUL AINSWORTH, Irish News, February 4th, 2026
GRAFFITI in Derry mocking the victims of Bloody Sunday has been condemned as “absolutely sickening”.
The ‘13-0’ graffiti appeared on a road sign at the Altnagelvin roundabout in the city last weekend.
It was removed “urgently” after being reported on Monday, and police are investigating its appearance as a sectarian hate crime.
It is understood to reference the 13 people who were shot dead on Bloody Sunday in January 1972 when British paratroopers opened fire on participants of a civil rights march.
A 14th person who was shot on the day died four months later in hospital.
Foyle SDLP MLA Mark H Durkan said he reported the graffiti to the Department for Infrastructure (DfI).
It appeared a week after the Public Prosecution Service announced it was upholding its decision in 2024 not to prosecute eight former soldiers over allegations of giving false evidence relating to the events of Bloody Sunday.
It was alleged the ex-soldiers provided false evidence to the Bloody Sunday Inquiry or in formal accounts provided back in 1972.
“Absolutely sickening graffiti appearing at Altnagelvin Roundabout, at a time when sensitivities are understandably heightened for Blood Sunday victims’ families and the wider community,” Mr Durkan said in a statement posted to social media.
The now-removed graffiti on a sign at Derry’s Altnagelvin roundabout. Police are investigating it as a sectarian hate crime
“The idiot/idiots behind such vandalism, set on dragging our communities backwards, are not wanted here.
“I’ve asked for this to be urgently removed.”
‘Unacceptable and offensive’
A DfI spokesperson told The Irish News: “This graffiti is totally unacceptable and offensive. The Department have urgently removed it and will check other signs in the area and remove any others.”
A PSNI spokesperson said: “Police in Derry/Londonderry are investigating graffiti daubed on signage in the area of Altnagelvin roundabout.
“The criminal damage is being treated as a sectarian hate crime. Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101, quoting reference number 596 of 02/02/26.”
Last September, the former Parachute Regiment member known as Soldier F was found not guilty of the murder of two Bloody Sunday victims, James Wray (22) and William McKinney (26), as well as five charges of attempted murder.
The following month, Fermanagh and Omagh District Council agreed to write to Stormont ministers after Parachute Regiment flags were erected in the Co Fermanagh village of Tamlaght following the trial verdict.
That same month, the Equality Commission ruled that Derry City and Strabane District Council breached its own equality rules when it banned stall holders from selling Parachute Regiment flags at an Apprentice Boys parade in Derry in 2023.
The ban followed the sale of Parachute Regiment and UVF flags during an Apprentice Boys parade in 2022, which sparked a PSNI investigation.
Mitchell and Epstein: why is former US senator’s name being removed at Queen’s?
Seanín Graham, Irish Times, February 4th, 2026
The speed at which Queen’s severed ties with its former chancellor has drawn support - and criticism
On the front lawn of Queen’s University Belfast, three traffic cones mark the spot where a bronze bust of George Mitchell stood a day earlier.
It’s Tuesday morning, four days since the publication of documents linking the former US senator to the late sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein.
Inside the university, a portrait of Mitchell was taken down the previous evening.
On Monday, Queen’s confirmed its decision to remove the name of George J Mitchell from its Institute of Global Peace, Security and Justice.
A £35,000 sculpture installed to mark Mitchell’s central role in brokering the Belfast Agreement was also to be removed from the campus, it said.
The move followed the emergence of “new information” contained in the latest tranche of US files on Epstein, “which include references to senator Mitchell”, according to Queen’s.
Despite “no findings of wrongdoing by senator Mitchell”, the university deemed it “no longer appropriate” for its “institutional spaces and entities to continue to bear his name”.
The speed at which Queen’s acted to sever ties with and erase all visible traces of its former chancellor has drawn support and criticism.
Irish-American publisher Niall O’Dowd likened it to a public “lynching”.
Rush to Judgement
“The rush to judgment on George Mitchell and allegations about him being mixed up with Epstein is disgraceful,” he wrote on X.
“There are allegations of all sorts against figures like Donald Trump, Bill Gates, none of them proven so far. That used to be enough, but here we have the noose fixed even before the lynch mob arrives.”
The US-Ireland Alliance, which announced on Sunday that its George J Mitchell scholarship programme would no longer bear his name, and Queen’s have “besmirched the reputation of perhaps the greatest Irish American”, according to O’Dowd – “a man who brought peace to a land where 3,000 had died and thousands more would likely have been killed but for Mitchell’s negotiating genius and personal sacrifice”.
However, former Ulster Unionist Party leader Reg Empey defended Queen’s “swift and decisive” actions.
Epstein was so “toxic” that anyone associated with him will rightly have their judgment questioned, Empey said.
“Reports that senator Mitchell had an association with the disgraced financier and paedophile Jeffrey Epstein are profoundly disturbing,” he added.
“While the senator denies any wrongdoing, he must know that such a relationship is deemed toxic by the public on both sides of the Atlantic.”
He said young women, many of them in their teens, were “trafficked and abused by Epstein and many of his friends” and it was “their suffering that must be uppermost in our minds”, rather than damage to the reputations of politicians or businessmen.
Former SDLP leader Alasdair McDonnell accused Queen’s of “using” Mitchell.
‘God bless George Mitchell’
“God bless George Mitchell, we all owe him so much… Queen’s used and abused him for their advantage, and now try to discard him.”
The name “George Mitchell” appears 301 times in the Epstein Files.
Though heavily redacted, the documents show he was regarded as sufficiently close to Epstein to be one of those cited in a “b-day book update” in 2002.
But it is the period after 2008, following Epstein’s first conviction for soliciting a minor in Florida, in which a continued association between the pair is detailed in the files.
Prior to their publication, Mitchell had publicly stated there was no contact with Epstein since the conviction.
But the newly released emails suggest that Epstein had tried to arrange meetings with Mitchell between 2010 and 2013, though it is not clear whether these occurred.
An email sent on October 22nd, 2013 – with the name and email address of both sender and recipient redacted – asks “Can George Mitchell get together w/JE first week of Nov or after Nov 17”.
This meeting was then set up for November 6th, 2013, according to a further email, with an alert reminding of a 10.30am appointment with senator George Mitchell, and a Google Calendar reminder advising that the meeting was scheduled to last from 10.30 to 11.30am.
A string of other emails referencing the former Democratic senator between 2011 and 2014 are contained in the files.
One dated March 19th, 2012, to Epstein from an unnamed sender, has the subject “2 Seminars – MONEY & POWER possible Invite List”, in which Mitchell is listed along with Bill Clinton, Bill Gates and others under the “POWER” list.
Planned lunch dates with Gates, Mitchell and Epstein are also mentioned.
An email from February 12th, 2013, to Epstein from his assistant Lesley Groff asks: “Did you wish me to contact senator George Mitchell now re a possible lunch with you and Bill Gates?” Epstein replies that same day, “Yea”, and later emails her again to say “I left senator Mitchel [sic] a voicemail [redacted] cell.”
In an updated statement released on Tuesday afternoon, Queen’s defended its position.
Mitchell had “previously provided reassurances” to the university regarding his contact with Epstein, but the new files show this “to be incorrect”, it said.
“In light of this information, the university took the decision to remove his name.”
In a statement issued to the BBC on Monday, a spokesperson for Mitchell said he “profoundly regrets” ever having known Epstein and “condemns, without reservation, the horrific harm Epstein inflicted on so many women”.
Mitchell did “not observe, suspect or have any knowledge of Epstein engaging in illegal or inappropriate conduct with underage women”, according to the spokesperson.
Mitchell could lose his Freedom of Belfast award over Epstein link
ANDREW MADDEN, Belfast Telegraph, February 4th, 2026
EX-SENATOR DENIES ANY WRONGDOING, BUT COUNCILLORS TELL OF CONCERNS OVER HONOUR AS QUB REMOVES BUST
Former US Senator George Mitchell looks set to lose his prestigious Freedom of Belfast award over his links to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
It comes after Queen's University, Belfast severed its ties with Mr Mitchell, a former chancellor of the institution who played a key role in the negotiations that led to the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.
While he has denied any wrongdoing, his name is to be removed from the Senator George J Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice on the QUB campus and a bust of Mr Mitchell was removed just hours after the university's decision came to light on Monday. The bust cost around £35,000 and was installed in 2023.
Last week, millions more files relating to Epstein, a convicted sex offender who died by suicide in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, were released by the US Department of Justice.
The tranche of documents include references to an earlier claim Mr Mitchell had sex with one of Epstein's victims, Virginia Guiffre, and emails which appear to show the former senator may have been in contact with Epstein or his staff years after he insisted he had cut ties with the late paedophile.
A spokesman for Mr Mitchell told the Belfast Telegraph earlier this week that the former senator did not observe, suspect or have any knowledge of Epstein engaging in “illegal or inappropriate conduct with underage women”.
He also “profoundly regrets ever having known Jeffrey Epstein and condemns, without reservation, the horrific harm Epstein inflicted on so many women”.
Mr Mitchell has also denied ever being in contact with or meeting Virginia Guiffre, who died last year.
Back in 2018, both Mr Mitchell and former US President Bill Clinton were awarded the Freedom of the City of Belfast — the highest civic honour that can be awarded by Belfast City Council (BCC) — for their roles in the NI peace process.
Now, it seems Mr Mitchell may be stripped of the accolade following the latest Epstein revelations.
United in condemnation
A BCC spokesperson said that, as the Freedom of the City is awarded by councillors, it is up to those elected representatives to decide whether to rescind it “via the council's decision-making processes”. Michael Long, Alliance Party group leader on BCC, said: “While no wrongdoing has been found regarding Senator Mitchell, given the recent developments and ongoing revelations, the Alliance Party believes it is no longer appropriate to award him the Freedom of the City.
“Our deepest sympathies are with the victims and survivors of abuse, and their experiences must remain central to all decision-making.
“As a democratic institution representing the people of Belfast, we must ensure that those who receive the highest civic honour on behalf of our city embody and reflect the values of our community. I will raise this with council officials to ensure appropriate steps are taken.”
A Sinn Féin spokesperson said the party is “liaising with council officials on necessary actions that could be taken in relation to any recognition bestowed on George Mitchell by Belfast City Council”.
DUP group leader on BCC, Sarah Bunting, said that, while it would not be appropriate for any councillor to “pre-empt or speculate on any potential decisions”, there are “serious concerns in relation to links between Senator Mitchell and Jeffrey Epstein, and the expectations of the people of Belfast as to recipients of this highest civic honour should be to the fore in any decision”.
An SDLP spokesperson said: “Given the serious allegations involving George Mitchell and his continued association with Jeffrey Epstein after Epstein's conviction, it is right that all honours and tributes to him are reviewed. Our thoughts are with the victims of Jeffrey Epstein and his associates.” Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph on Tuesday, Stormont Communities Minister Gordon Lyons said it is “absolutely right” that investigations should take place into whether Epstein came to Northern Ireland.
Mr Lyons said Mr Mitchell's relationship with Epstein must also be investigated “so we know exactly what was going on and who knew what and when”.
His comments came after UUP leader Jon Burrows said he had written to the Northern Ireland Office to ask if Epstein visited Peter Mandelson at Hillsborough Castle or anywhere else in Northern Ireland when the former Labour Cabinet minister was Secretary of State between 1999 and 2001.
The UUP said in a statement that it “is profoundly disturbed by reports of Senator George Mitchell's association with the disgraced paedophile Jeffrey Epstein”.
“While he denies wrongdoing, such ties are seen as toxic by the public, and we must prioritise the suffering of Epstein's victims over reputations,” they said. “We note that Queen's University state they sought reassurances from Senator Mitchell about his previous contact with Epstein that turned out to be incorrect. This is significant.
“We would support reviewing and potentially stripping Mitchell of his 2018 Freedom of Belfast award to uphold its integrity, and we welcome any relevant committee action, prepared to propose or back a motion if needed.”
Yesterday, Mr Mandelson announced he would resign from the House of Lords, following pressure from No 10 over damning revelations that he leaked sensitive documents to Epstein when he was a member of the Cabinet in 2009.
Bust of Mitchell removed from Queen’s grounds amid Epstein links
HANNAH PATTERSON, Irish News, February 4th, 2026
THE bust of George Mitchell on the grounds of Queen’s University Belfast has been removed.
On Monday, the university announced it was to remove the name of one of the architects of the Good Friday Agreement from a peace centre, because of his links with the disgraced paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein, along with the bust of the former US senator from university grounds.
It’s understood the bust remained in situ on Monday evening but had been removed by 8.30am yesterday.
Mr Mitchell chaired the negotiations which led to the 1998 peace agreement.
He has a long-standing association with the university where he was chancellor from 1999 to 2009.
On Monday, A Queen’s spokesperson said: “Queen’s University Belfast has taken the decision to remove the name of its former chancellor, Senator George J Mitchell, from the Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice, and to remove the bust commemorating him from the University campus.
“This decision follows the emergence of new information contained in the Epstein files released on Friday, which include references to Senator Mitchell.
“While no findings of wrongdoing by senator Mitchell have been made, the university has concluded that, in light of this material, and mindful of the experiences of victims and survivors, it is no longer appropriate for its institutional spaces and entities to continue to bear his name.
“As a civic institution with a global reputation for leadership in peace, reconciliation, and justice, Queen’s University Belfast must ensure that its honours and symbols reflect the highest standards consistent with its values and responsibilities.”
A spokesperson for Mr Mitchell told the BBC on Monday: “Senator Mitchell profoundly regrets ever having known Jeffrey Epstein and condemns, without reservation, the horrific harm Epstein inflicted on so many women.”
The spokesperson said Mitchell did not at any time observe, suspect or have any knowledge of Epstein engaging in “illegal or inappropriate conduct with underage women”.
Recent worship of senator by QUB and politicians looks foolish beyond belief now
Suzanne Breen, Belfast Telegraph, February 4th, 2026
Virginia Giuffre's deposition that she was forced to have sex with Senator George Mitchell was unsealed in 2019. It definitely wasn't a case of 'I Believe Her' among Northern Ireland's political and academic establishment.
They appear to have turned a collective blind eye to the allegations made by the sex trafficking victim. Indeed, it was as if her startling claims about the man hailed as one of the key architects of the Good Friday Agreement didn't even exist.
Over the next seven years, honours continued to be heaped on the former US senator. Sinn Fein, DUP, UUP, SDLP and Alliance politicians lined up for photos with him as did secretaries of state, a former prime minister and taoiseach.
He was heartily applauded and lauded wherever he went. There was rarely a room the retired senator walked into without securing a standing ovation.
A portrait of him was commissioned; he was the key figure in a highly acclaimed play; a film celebrated his life and work; and he was a central character in a novel long-listed for the Booker Prize.
Mitchell denied the allegations levelled against him by the young woman who had been trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein as a teenager.
Total Denial
“I have never met, spoken with or had any contact with Ms Giuffre,” he said in 2019. “In my contacts with Mr Epstein I never observed or suspected any inappropriate conduct with underage girls.
“I only learned of his actions when they were reported in the media related to his prosecution in Florida. We have had no further contact.”
Except that appears to be at odds with documents released by the US Department of Justice which seem to show the senator was in contact with Epstein for many years afterwards.
“George Mitchell is my very close friend,” the sex trafficker wrote in 2011. Several emails sent to Epstein refer to an appointment “with Senator George Mitchell” on November 6 2013.
The material in the files led to Queen's University cutting ties with Mitchell. Standing beside Tony Blair and the Clintons in 2023, he was delighted as a bust of himself was unveiled on campus.
“When you are looking at a statue of yourself you know the end is near. So I'm going to enjoy it in what time is left,” he joked.
Mitchell (92) likely meant that his years on this earth were limited. He will never have anticipated that the bust would be removed by the university in the way it was yesterday.
His name will also be deleted from Queen's Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice. That decision will hurt Mitchell who has previously spoken of how he “valued greatly” his “long and close” relationship with the university of which he was chancellor from 1999 to 2009.
‘No longer appropriate’
Announcing its decision, Queen's pointed to the Epstein files. “While no findings of wrongdoing by Senator Mitchell have been made, the university has concluded that, in light of this material, and mindful of the experiences of victims and survivors, it is no longer appropriate for its institutional spaces and entities to continue to bear his name.
“As a civic institution with a global reputation for leadership in peace, reconciliation, and justice, Queen's must ensure that its honours and symbols reflect the highest standards consistent with its values and responsibilities.”
Did the university not think of victims and survivors seven years ago when Giuffre's deposition was unsealed? It seemed to put the allegations against Mitchell out of its mind despite the Epstein scandal dominating the news for many years.
Queen's promotion of Mitchell in its branding, despite Giuffre's claims, could be interpreted by survivors as both an insult to her as well as a serious misjudgment.
Mitchell arrived in Northern Ireland in 1995 as US special envoy, sent by President Clinton. He was appointed chair of the international body on arms decommissioning, and became the man who split the IRA.
He devised the six broad principles of democracy and non-violence, known as the Mitchell principles. Sinn Fein signed up to these in September 1997, leading to serious divisions in republican ranks.
Hardliners argued that accepting the principles was tantamount to agreeing to an internal settlement. Dozens of senior figures resigned, leading to the formation of the Real IRA.
As chair of the Good Friday Agreement talks, Mitchell's patience, humility and 'can do' approach was widely praised. He was seen as a seasoned statesman towering over Northern Ireland's political pygmies.
Saintliness with a whiff of tobacco
The senator was hailed as a saint during his time here. The only minor negative coverage I can recall was around his links to the tobacco industry. It was reported that his law firm earned over $10 million in fees in 1997 from the five largest tobacco companies.
New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd asked: “How can George Mitchell be both a statesman working against death in Northern Ireland and a shill for death in America?” But both politicians and public here paid scant attention to her question.
QUB's VIP-focussed celebrations on the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement look deeply misguided now. Tony Blair, as well as Bill and Hillary Clinton, are highly controversial characters.
Among those who lined up for a photograph with Mitchell at the university in April 2023 were former taoiseach Bertie Ahern; retired Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams; ex-Women's Coalition MLA Monica McWilliams; former UUP and SDLP leaders Sir Reg Empey and Mark Durkan; and ex-PUP MLA Dawn Purvis.
The audience in Belfast's Lyric Theatre rose to its feet that month when Mitchell attended Owen McCafferty's Agreement, a play chronicling the final days leading up to the Good Friday Agreement.
He was similarly feted six months later when Colin Davidson's portrait of him - commissioned by the Irish Arts Centre in New York - was unveiled in Manhattan. Despite the Epstein scandal being very much in the headlines with controversy continuing over then Prince Andrew, there appears to be no record of public questions being asked of Mitchell during his visits here over the next two years.
Peace babies and politicians
In September 2024, he attended the unveiling of new plans for the centre in his name at Queen's, and he heard how he'd changed the life of a “peace baby”.
The First Minister and deputy First Minister were in attendance, both piling praise on him. Michelle O'Neill paid tribute to his “commitment and dedication” in “bringing peace here”. She spoke of his “extraordinary efforts”.
Emma Little-Pengelly said it was “an honour to be part of this special event to celebrate this institute and the legacy of Senator George Mitchell”.
Secretary of State Hilary Benn described him as “one of the world's most respected and accomplished peace negotiators”. We owed him “an enormous debt of gratitude for the leadership he showed and inspired in others”, Benn added.
QUB's love affair with Mitchell continued in 2025. On the 27th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, it created for social media a “handy guide to the man himself and his impact on the island of Ireland” .
Mitchell received yet another standing ovation at an all-singing all-dancing 'Passing the Torch' event in the Whitla Hall last April. Virginia Giuffre took her own life that month.
He was back in Belfast in June for the gala screening of Fine Points' Films documentary about him. The senator joined RTE presenter Miriam O'Callaghan and director Trevor Birney for a conversation about his “profound impact” on Northern Ireland.
When contacted by the Belfast Telegraph, a spokesman for Senator Mitchell said: “In the recently released documents, an allegation involving Senator Mitchell by Virginia Giuffre is repeated.
Mistaken identity
“It was first made public in 2020 and denied at the time. That allegation is based on a case of mistaken identity. In 2021, Ms. Giuffre supplied a photograph to OK Magazine, which incorrectly captioned it as depicting Senator Mitchell standing behind Jeffrey Epstein.
“The individual in the photograph was not Senator Mitchell. The publisher acknowledged the incorrect caption and removed it.”
The spokesman said: “Senator Mitchell reiterates unequivocally that he never met, spoke with, or had any contact of any kind with Ms Giuffre or with any underage women.
“At no time did Senator Mitchell observe, suspect, or have any knowledge of Epstein engaging in illegal or inappropriate conduct with underage women. He learned of Epstein's criminal activity only through media reports related to Epstein's Florida prosecution.”
The statement added: “To the best of Senator Mitchell's recollection, during the 12-year period between Epstein's conviction and his death, members of Epstein's staff extended a small number of invitations to the senator, all of which he declined or deflected.
“Senator Mitchell profoundly regrets ever having known Jeffrey Epstein and condemns, without reservation, the horrific harm Epstein inflicted on so many women.”
It's doubtful that the senator will ever be back at Queen's again. The university's past sycophancy towards him looks foolish beyond belief in light of the Epstein files. Let's hope it learns its lesson about worshipping VIPs.
There's a gap now on campus where that bust of Mitchell once sat. A statue to Virginia Giuffre would be appropriate. It's the least Queen's can do for Epstein's victims and survivors.
'Privacy' at the Palace - what latest Epstein files reveal
analysis max stephens Newest tranche of documents puts spotlight back on high-profile names
The US Department of Justice has declassified more than three million documents relating to the crimes of Jeffrey Epstein.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, Bill Gates and Peter Mandelson are among the high-profile figures facing fresh scrutiny about the depth of their friendships with the billionaire paedophile.
Former Duke of York, Mountbatten-Windsor, suffered a further hit to his reputation with the emergence of a photo of him crouched on all floors looming over a woman lying on a floor, and emails to Epstein offering to host him at Buckingham Palace.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor
The latest tranche of declassified documents has shed new light on the depth of the former prince's friendship with Epstein. Mountbatten-Windsor invited the paedophile to an intimate dinner at Buckingham Palace a month after Epstein had been released from house arrest in August 2010, emails between the pair have revealed.
The paedophile had served 13 months in jail for soliciting a minor for prostitution and spent the subsequent year on house arrest in his Manhattan mansion.
Mountbatten-Windsor previously claimed to have cut contact with Epstein after the investigation was launched in 2006, only getting back in touch to sever ties in person in late 2010.
However, in an email dated August 2010, Epstein said he could arrange to introduce him to a "beautiful” 26-year-old Russian woman named only as "Irina”.
A month later, the disgraced financier emailed Mountbatten-Windsor, listed in his contacts as "The Duke”, to say he was in London with three women, named as Sarah, Sue and Vera, and requested "private time” with the former royal. In the exchange, Epstein asked if he should bring the women "so as to add some life”.
Mountbatten-Windsor said in reply "we could have dinner at Buckingham Palace”, adding that the location would offer "lots of privacy”.
Further emails show that in November 2010 Mountbatten-Windsor was "plotting” with Epstein ahead of a meeting the next month, saying that he was "really looking” forward to seeing him. "Some interesting things to discuss and plot...,” he wrote.
Yet perhaps the most startling document may be a photograph of the former Duke of York crouched on all fours, looming over a woman lying flat on the floor.
Mountbatten-Windsor (65) is seen looking at the camera as a woman, whose face is redacted, lies on her back between his arms. In another photo, his hand is placed on her torso. The identity of the woman is not known.
Other emails reveal warm words shared in the earlier days of their relationship, such as one exchange in 2002 where Epstein asks Mountbatten-Windsor if it was true he was considering having more children, adding: "I shall have to refer to you as super sperm.”
Mountbatten-Windsor shut the suggestion down, telling his friend: "No, I'm not having more children and don't believe everything you read in the papers.” Mountbatten-Windsor was approached for comment.
Peter Mandelson
The UK's former ambassador to Washington is facing further questions about his relationship with Epstein after emails reveal that the paedophile sent £10,000 to Mr Mandelson's husband.
In September 2009, Reinaldo Avila da Silva emailed Epstein asking for money to fund an osteopathy course and other related expenses.
Mr Mandelson married Mr da Silva in 2023, after a relationship going back three decades. Having received the request from Mr da Silva, Epstein replied later that day: "I will wire your loan amount immediately.”
Mr da Silva sent Epstein an email a few days later, saying "thank you for the money which arrived in my account this morning”. Mr Mandelson was fired as the UK's ambassador to the US last year, after it emerged he called Epstein his "best pal” in a 50th birthday tribute book.
He subsequently claimed in an interview last month that he was kept in the dark about the full horror of Epstein's crimes because he was gay. Despite his personal birthday tribute message, he told the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg that he had been "at the edge of this man's life”.
In a statement issued to The Telegraph on Friday night, Mr Mandelson apologised "unequivocally” to Epstein's victims for his continued association with the paedophile.
"I was wrong to believe Epstein following his conviction and to continue my association with him afterwards,” he said. "I apologise unequivocally for doing so to the women and girls who suffered.”
Bill Gates
Epstein claimed that Bill Gates caught a sexually transmitted disease after sleeping with "Russian girls”.
He also alleged that the Microsoft founder asked for antibiotics he could "surreptitiously give” to his then wife Melinda, from whom he is now divorced.
On July 18, 2013, Epstein sent a memo to himself including a number of allegations about Mr Gates.
It said: "To add insult to the injury you them [sic] implore me to please delete the emails regarding your std, your request that I provide you antibiotics that you can surreptitiously give to Melinda and the description of your penis.”
In a separate email, Epstein told Mr Mandelson he had "monstrous fun” with Mr Gates in Seattle. A spokesman for Mr Gates said: "These claims are absolutely absurd and completely false.
"The only thing these documents demonstrate is Epstein's frustration that he did not have an ongoing relationship with Gates and the lengths he would go to entrap and defame.”
Elon Musk
The files show that Elon Musk asked Epstein when the "wildest party” on his island was so that he could attend.
The Tesla boss exchanged emails with the paedophile in 2012, three years after Epstein was released from jail for soliciting a minor for prostitution.
Epstein asked how many people Mr Musk was planning to bring with him to Little Saint James, the financier's island.
"Probably just Talulah and me. What day/night will be the wildest party on =our [sic] island?” Mr Musk responded.
Mr Musk was married to actor Talulah Riley from 2010 to 2012 and 2013 to 2016.
A year later, on December 13, 2013, Mr Musk asked Epstein: "Will be in the BVI/St Bart's area over the holidays. Is there a good time to visit?”
Epstein responded, saying: "Always space for you.”
It appears Mr Musk was unable to make the trip, but a separate email exchange indicates the paedophile arranged to visit the SpaceX facility and have lunch with the billionaire. In response to the latest release, Mr Musk said on Saturday: "No one pushed harder than me to have the Epstein files released and I'm glad that has finally happened.
"I had very little correspondence with Epstein and declined repeated invitations to go to his island or fly on his 'Lolita Express', but was well aware that some email correspondence with him could be misinterpreted and used by detractors to smear my name.
"I don't care about that, but what I do care about is that we at least attempt to prosecute those who committed serious crimes with Epstein, especially regarding heinous exploitation of under-age girls.”
Ghislaine Maxwell
Maxwell listed her official residence as Little Saint James − otherwise known as Epstein Island − on her US citizenship certificate, the latest files show.
The former girlfriend of the paedophile is currently serving a 20-year jail sentence for sex trafficking on behalf of Epstein. She became a naturalised US citizen on November 27, 2002, through her residence in the US Virgin Islands.
In the document, released by the US Justice Department on Friday, Maxwell, who also has British and French citizenship, lists her previous nationality as French. Under her occupation, Maxwell has listed herself as being employed by Epstein as a "manager”.
Epstein bought the 75-acre island for almost $7.95m, and used it as his personal retreat to abuse girls as young as 14 who had been procured by Maxwell.
The island was later purchased for $60m by Stephen Deckoff, a US financier and founder of Black Diamond Capital Management.
Maxwell, a British former socialite, was jailed in 2021.
Melania Trump
The US first lady praised an article written about Epstein in an email to Maxwell, the Epstein files suggest.
In a 2002 email addressed to "G” and signed "Love, Melania”, the US president's wife apparently told Maxwell she looked great in a photo featured in a New York Magazine profile of Epstein. She described the article as a "nice story”.
Ms Trump has been pictured with Maxwell on at least three occasions, and with Epstein at least once, in the early 2000s alongside Donald Trump.
The White House has been approached for comment.
QUB signals it is not cutting Clinton ties over Epstein claims
By Adam Kula, Belfast News Letter, February 3rd, 2026
Queen's University Belfast (QUB) has indicated it is not considering any action to distance itself from the Clintons, after cutting ties with former US senator George Mitchell over his links to Jeffrey Epstein.
A large metal bust of Mr Mitchell was removed from its place outside QUB's Whitla Hall today, and QUB has also said it will remove Mr Mitchell's name from its Institute for Global Peace, Security, and Justice.
Like Mr Mitchell, Bill Clinton has also has QUB links and past associations with Epstein – something which has been back in the news this week following the release of fresh files relating to the paedophile financier.
Unionist campaigner and ex-UUP councillor Jeff Dudgeon today accused QUB of a “rush to judgment” over the Mitchell affair, and questioned the difference in approach to the Clinton name.
‘WHY NOT CLINTON WHEN CONCERNS ARE SIMILAR?’
Mr Mitchell, now aged 92, was special US envoy to Northern Ireland from 1995 to 2001.
He was also chancellor of Queen's (a prominent but ceremonial role) from 1999 until 2009.
Jeff Dudgeon had met Mr Mitchell during the lead-up to the Good Friday Agreement, while working for UKUP MP Bob McCartney.
He wrote on Twitter there had been "a rush to judgement over Senator George Mitchell," adding: "Odd that QUB didn't cancel him the first time his name was linked to Epstein so why now?”
Mr Dudgeon further went on to tell the News Letter: "These are not new allegations [see below]. The university chose to ignore them until yesterday.
"So what's the difference?"
He wondered whether "it's not so much about the alleged misbehaviour, it's about reputational damage if you don't join the stampede", adding that the word "witchhunt springs to mind".
He also questioned how the university can maintain its Clinton links given that there are "similar concerns" about Bill Clinton's "proximity to Epstein".
QUB has a William J. Clinton Leadership Institute, plus a lecture series named after him, whilst his wife Hillary is QUB's current chancellor.
Bill Clinton had repeatedly visited with Epstein and flown on his private plane prior to Epstein being charged in 2008.
Mr Clinton has stated that, by 2005, he had "stopped contact" with Epstein.
When Mr Dudgeon's points were put to it, QUB today restated its position that "it is no longer appropriate for its institutional spaces and entities to continue to bear his [Mr Mitchell's] name".
These moves follow "the emergence of new information contained in the Epstein files released on Friday," QUB said, though it acknowledged that "no findings of wrongdoing by senator Mitchell have been made".
It added: "Queen's University is not currently considering any action against other individuals."
CLAIMS DENIED BY GEORGE MITCHELL:
In 2019, ahead of Epstein's sex trafficking trial, it emerged that one of Epstein's victims, Virginia Giuffre, had made an allegation that she was "instructed" to sleep with Mr Mitchell.
Ms Giuffre then re-stated this claim last October in her postumously-published book.
Mr Mitchell has stated that he has never met, nor spoken to, Ms Giuffre, nor did he ever have any suspicion of Epstein's crimes.
Last week the US government released a massive haul of e-mails, photographs, and documents relating to Epstein, in which the claim concerning Mr Mitchell was repeated again.
Alongside it were e-mails purporting to show that there was some kind of contact between Mr Mitchell and Epstein’s office following Epstein’s 2008 conviction for soliciting a minor for prostitution.
In response, the BBC a spokesman for Mr Mitchell as saying that the former senator had "declined or deflected the few invitations to events extended by Epstein's office in the years that followed" his prosecution.
It further quoted Mr Mitchell's spokesperson as saying that Ms Giuffre's claim "is based on a case of mistaken identity," adding: "In 2021, Ms Giuffre supplied a photograph to OK Magazine, which incorrectly captioned it as depicting Senator Mitchell standing behind Jeffrey Epstein.
"The individual in the photograph was not Senator Mitchell."
Carroll sees Gaston sanction as ‘worrying precedent’
JOHN MANLEY, Irish News, February 4th, 2026
GERRY Carroll believes the sanctioning of his TUV counterpart Timothy Gaston over remarks made to the chair of a Stormont committee may “set a worrying precedent”.
On Monday, MLAs voted to exclude Gaston from the assembly for two sitting days after Stormont’s standards watchdog found he breached the code of conduct during stormy exchanges at an executive office committee in October 2024.
There were tense scenes between Mr Gaston and committee chairwoman Paula Bradshaw around the decision of Alliance MLA to meet First Minister Michelle O’Neill before she appeared at the committee to give evidence.
Ms O’Neill had been under fire following criticism of Sinn Féin over its handling of a number of controversies, including that of former press officer Michael McMonagle, who was convicted of attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity.
As exchanges at the committee became more heated, Mr Gaston said to Ms Bradshaw: “Take a step back. You’re OK, you’re OK. Breathe.”
He said he apologised at the time, acknowledging his comments were “ill-judged”, and added he believed that had been the end of the matter.
Mr Carroll, a People Before Profit MLA, told The Irish News there were “many things” that Mr Gaston should be sanctioned for “including his divisive rhetoric on trans people and migrants” but that the outcome from the standards commissioner Melissa McCullough’s investigation was “disproportionate”.
“He (Mr Gaston) has acknowledged that his comments were ill-judged, and he should make a public apology to Paula Bradshaw,” the West Belfast representative said.
“Exclusion from the assembly for challenging a committee chair is a disproportionate punishment.”
Mr Carroll said the exclusion of Mr Gaston “could set a worrying precedent”.
“I’d be concerned the larger parties might be tempted to regularly exclude smaller parties or independents from the assembly for challenging powerful witnesses in ways they find uncomfortable or inconvenient,” he said.
“Polite, deferential scrutiny serves nobody, except those in positions of power.”
Givan rejects MLAs' call for him to end 'brutal system' of transfer tests
MARK BAIN, EDUCATION CORRESPONDENT, Belfast Telegraph, February 4th, 2026
MINISTER DEFENDS ACADEMIC SELECTION DURING ASSEMBLY DEBATE ON MOTION
Paul Givan has mounted a robust defence of academic selection in dismissing calls for him to begin the process of ending the transfer tests in Northern Ireland.
The Education Minister was responding to an Assembly motion, passed by 77 votes to 48, calling for him to begin the process of ending the test for P7 pupils ahead of deciding which post-primary school they should attend.
Introducing the motion, Sinn Fein MLA Cathy Mason told the Assembly that the continuation of schools using academic selection was “negatively impacting children”.
Ms Mason described a “high-stake exam” for 10 and 11-year-olds as they are already preparing for the “daunting transition to post-primary school”.
In the motion, supported by her party colleagues Pat Sheehan and Danny Baker, Ms Mason described a “brutal system”.
She said there is an “extensive body of evidence” — including from the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child, the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland, and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development — of the negative impact of academic selection on children's well-being, educational outcomes and social mobility.
Ms Mason called on the minister to instead develop and implement a fair, inclusive and non-selective system.
SDLP MLA Cara Hunter added an amendment to the motion, also passed by members, which further called on the minister to set a clear timeline for the ending of academic selection. She said that ending the process would “ensure equality of opportunity for young people”.
“It's welcome that the Assembly is discussing this important issue, but today's motion is non-binding and will not deliver the change needed,” she said.
“It has been brought forward by Sinn Fein, the party who failed to end this practice when they held the education portfolio and actually made the system worse, privatising the transfer test system and creating chaos and confusion for schools in the process. Talking about academic selection will not make it disappear. This cannot be a one-day debate. The Executive and the Education Minister must act and use all of the tools at their disposal.
“The current system continues to fail young people, forcing children into an unfair and anxiety-driven ranking process at 10 or 11 years of age, with consequences that follow them throughout their education and beyond.”
But DUP Education Minister Paul Givan said the only people who are branding children “a failure” were the ones bringing the motion forward. And he urged Sinn Fein, SDLP and Alliance members, who all spoke out against academic selection, to reflect on the impact the words they chose had on young people.
‘I failed my 11 plus’
“I failed my 11 plus exam,” he said. “My father and mother never once said to me: 'You're a failure.' It's people who are advocating to abolish academic selection [who] label our young people as failures. Do they realise the impact their words have on those listening when they use that terminology?
“These issues have been discussed for many years, but the reality remains unchanged. There is now societal consensus on academic selection.
“There is no agreement on the best way forward, not among principals, schools, teachers, parents or young people themselves.
“How many of those advocating for the end of academic selection have gone to their local grammar school and said to remove academic selection from their criteria. Have any of them demanded that from the Board of Governors? Schools choose to include academic selection as their criteria. They can abolish it.”
Mr Givan added: “As far back as the Burns Report in 2001, the public consultation demonstrated clearly that there is no consensus on the best way forward. Society was, and still is, deeply divided on this issue.
“Every year, thousands of parents choose to put their children forward for the same transfer procedure. It's a matter of individual choice.
“We can continue to spend time and energy on a debate that polarises or we can focus on collective efforts that will have the greatest impact on improving outcomes for children and strengthen and build a system where every child can thrive. The debate on academic selection is the wrong debate to have.”
DUP MLA David Brooks insisted that academic selection “is not a judgment on a child's worth”.
“At best, academic selection is about matching children to the education environment where they are most likely to thrive. Of course it can be stressful, such is the nature of exams,” he said.
“For generations, children from working-class families, many without an academic tradition at home, have used grammar schools as a ladder of opportunity.”
Sinn Fein MLA Pat Sheehan disagreed: “There's no argument that many of our grammar schools produce excellent outcomes,” he said. “Some have fewer than 15% of pupils with free school meals. Look at how few with free school meals attend these schools.”
Christianity will remain central to religious education insists Givan
REBECCA BLACK, Irish News, February 4th, 2026
THE provision of religious education (RE) at schools in Northern Ireland is to be reviewed by an independent panel.
However, Stormont Education Minister Paul Givan said Christianity will “remain central to the syllabus”.
It comes after a Supreme Court judgment last year that the provision of Christian religious education at schools in the region does not comply with human rights standards.
The court upheld an appeal brought by a pupil at a Belfast school and her father and reinstated an earlier court ruling that the teaching of RE and collective worship breaches human rights as it does not approach the subject in an “objective, critical and pluralist manner”.
The pupil, known as JR87, was at a controlled primary school in Belfast in 2019 when, as part of the curriculum, she took part in non-denominational Christian religious education and collective worship.
Mr Givan responded to that judgment in the assembly chamber yesterday.
Curriculum Review
During that address to MLAs, he announced a review to revise the religious education curriculum and the introduction of formal inspection of RE across all schools.
It is to be led by Professor Noel Purdy from Stranmillis University College, Belfast, and former primary school principal Joyce Logue, supported by a drafting group comprised of teachers from across sectors.
It is also to involve extensive engagement with churches, teachers, school leaders, parents and young people.
Mr Givan said the review will develop a revised RE syllabus that is fully consistent with the Supreme Court judgment.
He said following full public consultation, he anticipates bringing forward new regulations this autumn, and a new syllabus to be implemented from September 2027.
“The time is now right for a review of a syllabus, it has been nearly 20 years since it was last revised, a wider curriculum review is already under way,” Mr Givan said.
“I am especially mindful of the need to safeguard religious education as an important academic discipline within the curriculum.
“A useful and enriching knowledge of Christianity and more widely the world’s main religious and philosophical traditions, studied with academic rigour, will be the ambition of the new syllabus.”
He added: “However, let me be clear, and as upheld by the court, Christianity will remain central to the revised syllabus.
“The reality of Northern Ireland’s historical, cultural and legal context means that Christianity should and will continue to be the primary focus on the revised syllabus.
“It will give continued recognition to the historical role of Christianity in Northern Ireland’s education system and society.
“While religious diversity is increasing, Christianity continues to shape our cultural norms, public holidays and civic life.”
Meanwhile, the Department of Education has published new guidance on the right of withdrawal from RE and collective worship for schools.
The Transferor Representatives’ Council (TRC), which represents the Church of Ireland, Presbyterian Church and Methodist Church, welcomed the announcement.
“The TRC is fully committed to engaging in the consultative group and we also welcome the minister’s decision to respond to our request that RE is included as part of the general inspection process in schools,” they said.
Orange Order urging members to keep log of ‘unfair’ media treatment
JOHN MANLEY, Irish News, February 4th, 2026
THE Orange Order is urging its members to report incidents where “the institution has been unfairly treated or misrepresented” in the media.
A special email account has been set up to receive details of broadcasts and articles that seemingly cast the Orange Order in a bad light.
Last July, in the aftermath of the Twelfth celebrations and a controversy which saw the cancelation of a cross-community sports summer camp in Comber, the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland (Goli) criticised a number of media organisations over what it claimed was “inaccurate, sensationalist and divisive commentary”.
It accused a number of the region’s main media organisations of “attacking the wider Orange family, churning out a daily diet of inaccurate, sensationalist and divisive commentary”.
It said BBC NI, which officially ended its live coverage of the Twelfth in 2022, continued to “marginalise Orangeism”.
In the latest edition of the Orange Standard, the institution asks member to get in touch if they “wish to highlight poor journalism or inaccurate reporting”.
The Orange Order says engagement with the BBC and print media “is ongoing on a number of matters” but members who feel coverage of the institution is unfair are urged to report it.
“The collection of relevant and up to date information from across the jurisdiction will help us to highlight these matters with the relevant bodies and make complaints if appropriate,” it says.
“Please ensure that all reports include full details of where the relevant article was published, or the date and time of broadcast along with information regarding the individual or lodge in question.”
Alongside the BBC, last July’s Goli statement criticised the Belfast Telegraph, Sunday Life and The Irish News.
Why do unionists not want a representative PSNI, Alex?
BRIAN FEENEY, Irish News, February 4th, 2026
YOU probably read the interview with deputy chief constable Bobby Singleton in this paper last week, Alex. The headline was: “We want to be a fully representative force.”
Of course he does. Why wouldn’t he?
The question is, Alex, why do unionists not want a fully representative force?
Why do unionists not support the PSNI’s efforts to make the force more representative?
Singleton came across as a straightforward, forthright character, genuine in his aim to broaden the appeal of the PSNI to Catholics, but it’s clear he has no idea how to achieve that aim.
He said: “The issue that we have at the moment is we don’t have a full understanding of exactly why that’s [the imbalance] happened.”
The PSNI is working with the Catholic Police Guild to see what analysis and research can be done.
What we do know, Alex, is that radical change in the PSNI is required to attract nationalists – not Catholics – to the force.
What we also know is that unionists will oppose tooth and nail the required radical change.
After all, it was the DUP who inveigled the dreadful proconsul (disgraced and no longer an MP) the British sent in 2010 to abandon 50:50 recruiting the following year.
‘A fair crack of the whip’
You’d think unionists would want this place to work, Alex, by having a fully representative force, but the evidence is that they don’t if it means giving nationalists a fair crack of the whip.
Why are they content when 70% of police and 80% of PSNI civilian staff are from a unionist background?
Why are they content that the figures are projected to become worse in a few years, with 77% of police from a unionist background?
Is it because, Alex, the required changes would mean that the PSNI needs to become more of an Irish police force, rather than so obviously a British police force?
A start would be bi-lingual headed notepaper and symbolism: ‘Seirbhís Póilíneachta Thuaisceart Éireann’. You could have tri-lingual if you like, adding in ‘Polis Service o Norlin Airlan’.
There’s an absurdity in unionists’ rejection of Irishness, Alex. Is it because they think it makes them less British?
In Scotland the bi-lingual title is Police Scotland/Poileas Alba. In Wales, police titles are all bi-lingual like Heddlu Gogledo Cymru (north Wales) or Heddlu de Cymru (south).
The absurdity of unionism’s position, Alex, is that by refusing to accept the Irish language, they make the PSNI the only British police force that doesn’t acknowledge the cultural and linguistic nature of the society they serve. Unionists make the PSNI an ‘un-British’ outlier in the UK.
However, all this is tinkering round the edges. The PSNI can’t make the necessary changes, because they require unionist political buy-in which isn’t forthcoming.
The Policing Board is no help either. It quickly demonstrated it’s a paper tiger.
Patten MkII
What’s needed, Alex, perhaps you’d agree, is an initiative from the two governments who are supposed to be joint guarantors of how this place is run. It would need to be a Patten Mk II.
It’s becoming urgent, because not only is the number of PSNI recruits from a nationalist background declining, the number of potential recruits from a nationalist background is growing rapidly.
The 2021 census shows the number of 16-year-olds in the north in 2029 will be 51,000. Their breakdown is 49% Catholic, 33% Protestant and 18% other.
You’ll agree, Alex, that the optimal recruiting age band for the PSNI would be 18-25. What these figures mean is that in the 2030s, PSNI constables from the minority unionist background will be policing the nationalist majority. Not a good look, eh?
Now, it wouldn’t be normal if a piece on the future here didn’t end on a pessimistic conclusion.
Radical change in the PSNI is needed, right? Only the two governments can bring that about, most likely by an independent report with recommendations. Here’s the thing: the governments in Dublin and Lon-don aren’t going to do it in the foreseeable future.
First, Britain’s Labour government and its prime minister are fighting for their political life. They do not have the bandwidth to become involved with controversy in the north.
Secondly, the Irish government takes on the EU presidency in July and does not have the bandwidth etc, etc.
Third, as long as Micheál Martin is around, Dublin will remain disengaged from northern politics.
Finally, should the two governments ever get round to appointing a commission, it will take a couple of years to report and longer to implement its findings. In short, the recruiting problem for the PSNI is certain to become acute.
Do you think that will please unionists, Alex, who haven’t lifted a finger to help the police they claim to support?
The PSNI’s problem is really everyone’s problem, Brian
ALEX KANE, Irish News, February 4th, 2026
THE assumption you seem to be making, Brian, is that non-nationalist, non-Catholic members of the PSNI are unionist and/or Protestant.
And maybe, although you haven’t specifically said so, you may further assume that they define and prioritise their role as being to police as unionists and Protestants.
As it happens, Brian, I don’t think that is the case. Indeed, I would go further and suggest that the fact they don’t act in a manner which would be considered pro-unionist and pro-Protestant is why sections of loyalism, the Orange Order and even mainstream unionism accuse the PSNI of ‘two-tier’ policing.
In other words, policing which is pro-nationalist/pro-republican, rather than pro-unionist and Protestant.
I did read Bobby Singleton’s interview, Brian, and I do agree – and always have – that the post-1998 police force should be fully representative. But I’m not persuaded, and never have been, that ‘fully representative’ should be defined as balanced numbers of nationalist/Catholic and unionist/Protestant officers.
Because that, to me anyway, carries more than a hint of political policing about it; by a force, whose members have specific and contradictory views of Northern Ireland’s political and constitutional status.
You mention, Brian, Singleton’s comment: “The issue that we have at the moment is we don’t have a full understanding of exactly why that’s (the imbalance) happened.”
I think there’s a broader issue in play, though. It was deemed necessary to remove the RUC because it was generally regarded within nationalism as a unionist police force for a unionist majority.
Political policing
What the PSNI was supposed to be was, at its core, a politically neutral force for policing a Northern Ireland where political business was done differently and better, and where violence had, reasonably quickly, been superseded by peace.
As you and I both know, Brian, things haven’t worked out like that. There is still political policing, because the police have to deal with issues which have entirely different impacts on both main political/constitutional communities. That makes it difficult for every officer. I’ve spoken to a number from non-nationalist and non-unionist backgrounds who have been very frank about the difficulties of policing while being accused of letting their own side down.
I’m also going to disagree with you on another aspect, Brian. I don’t agree with your sweeping assessment that unionists don’t want ‘a fully representative force’.
I agree that elements don’t – in the same way that I have spoken to people within republicanism who still regard the PSNI as ‘the first line of the British presence in Ireland’ – but, generally speaking, I think the majority of the pro-union communities (and never forget, Brian, that the overall pro-union community is now bigger than political/electoral unionism) have no significant issue with a ‘fully representative’ force.
Where I do agree with you is that radical change in the PSNI is required. Not to make it more acceptable to nationalists, republicans, Catholics, Protestants, unionists, loyalists and a slew of whingeing political rivals; but to move away from what still strikes me as a political force for a politically divided society.
We don’t need unionist and nationalist officers, as such. Indeed, if it were up to me – and we’re talking now about 32 years after the first ceasefires – I wouldn’t even have religion listed on the application form.
It wasn’t just the DUP by the way, Brian, who inveigled successive Secretaries of State and UK/Irish governments and ended up wrecking the original and reasonably benign intentions of Chris Patten’s proposals.
I sat in the back row at a number of the roadshows and, although I don’t know why I was surprised, the complaints I heard from loyalists and republicans were fairly similar.
Yes, Brian, we have problems with the PSNI – not just confined to recruitment, either; but the roots of those go back to its creation.
A Commission
I’m going to agree with you again, Brian (and no, don’t get overexcited by the news). The two governments should establish a commission.
It’s long overdue, not least because the control and command structures and oversight bodies are absurdly complicated and, in that dreadful phrase, not fit for purpose.
My fear, though, is that like so many things post-1998 (and, of course, it was never meant to happen this way), it will get bogged down in the usual us-and-them tripe-hurling spats in which the priority will be getting an us-and-them solution to policing. AGAIN!
Bottom line, Brian, I have no issue with a force genuinely reflective of NI society (although political/electoral unionism and nationalism is not genuinely reflective nowadays); I have no objection to bi-lingual headed notepaper; I have no issue with nationalist views and people with a nationalist background in the PSNI.
Where I do have a problem is with a police force which is still, unfairly I think, expected to police a society whose politicians don’t seem to have accepted that change is what they are failing to deliver.
Don’t blame the PSNI.
Every police officer offered £7,500 compo for data breach scandal
By Iain Gray, Belfast Telegraph, February 3rd, 2026
Everyone in the PSNI is to be offered £7,500 in compensation for a massive data breach that put the entire workforce’s personal info in the hands of dissidents.
The 2023 incident saw hidden details on a spreadsheet sent out as part of a freedom of information request reveal the surnames, initials, ranks and roles of all 9,483 PSNI officers and staff.
After a two-year court battle, they’re to be offered £7,500 each in compensation. If they all accept, the total payout would come to £71.1m – though lawyer Philip Gordon from Edwards Solicitors said cases of “severe upset and distress caused to officers and their families” would likely refuse and continue legal action.
An organisation representing the force’s rank and file, the Police Federation, described the offer as “a decent outcome for most officers”, adding that some in the PSNI had been forced to move home or install hefty security systems to keep their families safe.
The compensation offer follows a two-year legal battle, and has been welcomed by a body representing the police rank and file.
Said its chair, Liam Kelly: “For many, it will mean they are able to draw a line under the case and move on with their careers – [though] this is not a ‘one size fits all’ offer.
“It will deliver welcome closure for many – but we have to recognise the fact that for some of our colleagues, the damage caused will have longer-term consequences.”
Near the end of last year, the Department of Justice ring-fenced £119m to cover costs and compensation in the data breach case.
Infrastructure minister pressed to do more to tackle potholes
REBECCA BLACK, Irish News, February 4th, 2026
STORMONT Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins has been pressed to do more to tackle potholes on roads across Northern Ireland.
Ms Kimmins was brought to the assembly by an urgent oral question on the issue.
She said almost 50,000 defects have been reported in the last three months alone.
Last week, there was a re-port that a funeral limousine was unable to finish its journey in Belfast after being left with two flat tyres after travelling on a road with a large pothole.
DUP MLA Jonathan Buckley put the urgent oral question, and urged the minister to “further prioritise” road maintenance, describing a “people’s priority”.
“People want potholes fixed. Drivers need safe roads they can rely on,” he said.
“The public is fed up with excuses. The pothole pandemic needs a cure, but the minister doesn’t seem to have one.”
Responding, Ms Kimmins said she has been working with her officials to maximise what resources they have, but said £1.6 billion is needed to “properly maintain our road network”.
She said announced a £30 million package for roads maintenance before Christmas and hope to announce the detail of a further package of measures in the coming days.
“We’re looking at a longer term strategy, we’re seeing more and more extreme weather every year, we’re trying to deal with this as responsibly as possible,” she told MLAs.
“In the last three months we have seen 49,000 defects in our roads, that didn’t happen overnight, that is because of significant under investment in our road network for many, many years.
“I am committed to doing all that I can, and working with my officials to see how we can best respond, and maximise.”
Remembering David Cuthbert - teenage Royal Navy chef killed in Brazil for IRA
By Philip Bradfield, Belfast Telegraph, December 4th, 2026
This week marks 54 years since terrorists murdered a teenage Royal Navy chef in Brazil in solidarity with the IRA.
David Cuthbert was murdered in Rio de Janeiro on 5th February 1972.
The 18-year-old Royal Navy Cook attached to HMS Triumph was shot by Brazilian terrorists in a passing car while off duty and seated in a taxi.
Leaflets dropped at the scene expressed “solidarity with the combatants in Ireland and all over the world”.
The murder came six days after Bloody Sunday when 13 civil rights protestors were shot dead by Parachute Regiment in Londonderry on 30 January 1972.
David was from Long Common near Shipston on Stour, Warwickshire in England. He was one of five children and was buried in the Churchyard at the village where he grew up.
His dad, a quarry manager, told of his son’s irresistible call to the sea.
Kenny Donaldson, director of victims group SEFF, said: "We have remembered David annually on our SEFF Social Media Anniversary posts for several years; and whilst officially he is not listed as a victim or survivor of The Northern Ireland Troubles, we are very clear that his death was as a direct consequence of events which occurred here in Northern Ireland.
"David was just a boy of 18 years and he had his whole life before him. Those who murdered him did so claiming that it was 'an act of solidarity' with the IRA, once again illustrating the interconnectedness of terrorism the world over."
He added: "We have always acknowledged those who perished on the streets of Derry/Londondonderry on 30th January 1972 and the pain that this has brought to their families, and we will continue to do so."
‘Achieved nothing’
But he said SEFF will also continue to remember David, and Major Nigel Alers-Hankey who also died on Bloody Sunday - from gunshots sustained in Londonderry several months earlier while trying to protect firemen from stone throwers.
Mr Donaldson said they would also remember two RUC GC Officers murdered in the city three days before Bloody Sunday Sgt Peter Gilgunn and Const David Montgomery.
Carlos Alberto Sales, one of the last surviving participants in Cuthbert’s killing, opened up more recently about the murder – saying it achieved nothing and he would not do it today.
“The motivation for that operation was the massacre in Ireland,” he said, as reported by the Irish Times.
Now aged 70, he runs a small bakery business in a Rio slum where the poverty he murdered to oppose 50 years ago remains unchanged.
He long ago gave up believing armed struggle was the solution to his country’s many ills.
Recalling the murder of the teenage chef, he said: “It was an action carried out in the emotion of the times. We had suffered so many casualties. We felt the loss of those we considered comrades even if they were abroad.
"It was an act of revenge in solidarity with them. But I realise it didn’t achieve anything. Maybe the Irish comrades felt good when they heard about it. But today I wouldn’t do it.”
In 2010, David’s family were among the first to receive the Elizabeth Cross, a new award granted to the next-of-kin of members of the British armed forces killed on operations or as a result of terrorism.
MLAs back DUP call for civil service reform after damning Audit Office report
By David Thompson, Belfast Telegraph, February 3rd, 2026
DUP MLA Brian Kingston says the finance minister must do more on civil service reform.
The DUP has called on the finance minister to bring forward a “time-bound plan” to reform the civil service – saying the system needs to be better managed.
Brian Kingston MLA said a recent report from the NI Audit Office had highlighted failings within the department of finance to get a grip on challenges facing the service.
He said agency workers have doubled over the past five years – at a cost of £500m – and that situation cannot continue. The North Belfast MLA highlighted “persistent, high levels of sickness absence” – which he said cost £48.8m in 2024/25.
“There are currently no targets or action plans in place to address this. Department of Finance Officials have said it is up to each department to manage this yet. Yet, when we ask each department, they say it is managed by the Department of Finance”, Mr Kingston said.
As MLAs debated the DUP motion, the finance minister said the Audit Office report “reinforces the need for reform” – but said if the responsibility was left to one minister, opportunities may not be realised.
UUP leader Jon Burrows said there is need for real change in NICS – but he is not critical of the “hard working men and women” in the organisation.
He said there is an issue about culture, senior leadership and political leadership. “I do think it is unhelpful when we have Stormont not in existence for a period of time – for any type of transformation.
He said there was a “lack of focus” on nationalist benches – accusing them of focusing too much on international issues not relevant to Northern Ireland.
Earlier, SDLP MLA Patsy McGlone highlighted the audit office report, asking the minister if he could explain why three quarters of its reform recommendations from 2020 haven't been implemented yet, and how many will be before the end of this mandate.
The minister said there are “huge challenges in transforming an organisation of the scale of its civil service” – but that he has strategies in place “to put momentum into the program of change that everybody accepts [is] needed within the civil service”.
The DUP motion calling for reduced reliance on agency staffing, and improved efficiency was passed.
Gaston pushes for release of 'contemporaneous' notes of meeting at heart of Stormont row
By David Thompson, Belfast News Letter, February 4th, 2026
The TUV is seeking the release of contemporaneous notes of a private meeting between Paula Bradshaw and Michelle O'Neill.
Timothy Gaston is seeking the release of minutes of a private meeting between the chair of a Stormont scrutiny committee and the First Minister ahead of a row which resulted in his suspension from the Assembly.
The TUV MLA – who is currently subject to a two day ban – wants “contemporaneous notes” of a meeting between Paula Bradshaw and Michelle O’Neill to be disclosed by officials, but the Executive Office (TEO) has declined to release them.
Mr Gaston believes they may contain information which would have had a bearing on the standards investigation into an upheld complaint by Ms Bradshaw – but the chair of the committee which sanctioned him has said that was not within the scope of the investigation.
Official minutes – which have been released – weren’t written up by TEO until five days after the meeting happened, and after they had already become a matter of controversy in the media.
He has lodged an appeal about the TEO’s decision with the Information Commissioner, which was expected to rule on the matter in early January – but is yet to come to a decision.
Conduct undermined Chair
This week MLAs endorsed a report by the Standards Commissioner, which found that Mr Gaston’s conduct at a meeting of the TEO committee in 2024 had breached the MLAs’ code of conduct. It said he had undermined the chair’s authority over repeatedly asking questions she had ruled out of order, and telling her to “breathe”.
The heated meeting had descended into rows over Mr Gaston asking Ms Bradshaw to stand aside as chair, after it had emerged that she met Michelle O’Neill in her office in advance of the Sinn Fein First Minister giving evidence later that day.
The Alliance MLA had denied there was anything untoward about the meeting, saying that she “spoke to” the committee’s legal advice, but did not reveal it to the witness – Ms O’Neill.
The meeting was meant to scrutinise the first minister over her party’s handling of child safeguarding issues and other scandals embroiling her party at the time. However, Ms O’Neill refused to answer any questions she deemed not relevant to her ministerial office.
Mr Gaston told the News Letter: “I have written to the Information Commissioner to formally notify him that the Assembly has now published and relied upon a report which proceeds on the basis that the contemporaneous notes of the private meeting between the First Minister and the Committee Chair, Paula Bradshaw, remain undisclosed.
“The Assembly has imposed a sanction that is inseparable from that meeting, yet neither the Committee nor the public has ever seen the notes taken in the room.
“That is no longer a hypothetical issue. It goes directly to transparency, procedural fairness, and public confidence in how power is exercised at Stormont. At the very least, the public is entitled to know what was recorded at a meeting which has now played such a central role in Assembly proceedings.
“The only record currently available is a minute which was drafted after the event and checked in draft form with Ms Bradshaw. If the informal notes do not conflict with the official minute, there should be no difficulty in releasing them. If they present a fuller or different picture of what took place, then the public interest in disclosure is heightened”.
During Monday’s debate on whether he should be sanctioned with a two day ban from the Assembly, Mr Gaston said it would be “unwise” to make “judgements on what transpired that day in the absence of” the information he is seeking.
However, the chair of the standards and privileges committee, Sinn Fein MLA Cathy Mason, said the body had “noted his earlier correspondence about his freedom of information request when it deliberated on the complaint. As I explained, the Committee needed to keep focused on the elements required to find a breach of the rules in question”.
The official minute of the meeting shows that it was conducted in the First Minister’s office. It included a discussion on specific questions which had been sent to the first minister in advance by the TEO committee. It appeared to suggest that the pair agreed that some were “tenuously linked” to the work of Ms O’Neill’s department.
Ms Bradshaw “reiterated that she would remind members of the Committee’s legal advice before the session commenced”.
