The ex-Secretary for Northern Ireland, Sir Brandon Lewis, expressed concern that the political structure of Stormont might unravel in the fall of 2020 due to discord amongst ministers over the extension of Covid-19 measures. He made these comments while presenting his evidence as part of the UK Covid-19 Investigation.
His shock was evident when recalling how the Irish government had moved to close educational establishments at the early stages of the pandemic. This was only a day after his interaction with then tánaiste, Simon Coveney, stressing the importance of uniform communication throughout Ireland.
Since the recommencing of the Stormont coalition government in January 2020, after three years inoperation, it faced the immediate daunting task of managing the pandemic. Accordingly, they introduced a sequence of measures to control the virulent outbreak.
During multiple Stormont meetings in November, senior ministers were at odds over extending the lockdown rules as the virus’ second wave intensified. Lewis, the then Secretary of State, noted a mounting frustration amongst ministers.
He relayed to the investigation, “It was a particularly challenging period. From my observations, it seemed like the Executive might face another breakdown.”
He further explained that it wasn’t necessarily the decisions made but the process itself that led to frustration – documents being provided late, leaks occurring during sessions.
Tensions within the Executive surfaced in public following the instance of Sinn Féin members attending Bobby Storey’s funeral, a known Republican, in June 2020. Lewis also highlighted tensions related to the retirement of Sir David Sterling, the head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service in August 2020. His successors, first minister Arlene Foster and deputy first minister Michelle O’Neill, were unable to agree on a replacement.
On March 11th, 2020, a crucial phone call between Lewis and Coveney took place. The focus was to ensure a unified approach between the two jurisdictions to combat Covid. However, the next day, to Lewis’s surprise, the Irish government took the decision to close schools.
Clair Dobbin KC, the lead attorney for the enquiry, queried whether a particular issue had created complications for ministers in the coalition government. Responding affirmatively, Mr Lewis said the issue had certainly provoked a problem. Just days prior, discussions with Simon Coveney centred on collaborative efforts, mutual notification, and handling possible differences arising from the decisions of two autonomous governments and the Northern Ireland Executive. Unexpectedly, the Taoiseach’s announcement in Washington DC blindsided everyone, despite recent discussions about fostering cooperation. Mr Lewis, who was also in Washington DC at the time, described the incident as a complete shock. He elaborated that the occurrence raised doubt regarding the Irish Government’s decision and led to the questioning of why other parties were not doing the same. Such unexpected circumstances not only stirred trouble for the broader UK government but also posed a distinct issue for Northern Ireland due to inadequate notice and comprehension of the reasons behind the decision.