Iris Robinson | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Robinson in 2012 | |
| Member of Parliament forStrangford | |
| In office 7 June 2001 – 13 January 2010 | |
| Preceded by | John Taylor |
| Succeeded by | Jim Shannon |
| Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly forStrangford | |
| In office 25 June 1998 – 12 January 2010 | |
| Preceded by | Office Created |
| Succeeded by | Jonathan Bell |
| Democratic Unionist Party Spokesperson for Health | |
| In office 2001 – 9 January 2010 | |
| Leader | Ian Paisley Peter Robinson |
| Mayor ofCastlereagh | |
| In office 1995–1996 | |
| In office 1992–1993 | |
| Member of Castlereagh Borough Council | |
| In office 17 May 1989 – 13 January 2010 | |
| Preceded by | Denny Vitty |
| Succeeded by | Tim Morrow |
| Constituency | Castlereagh East |
| Northern Ireland Forum Member forStrangford | |
| In office 30 May 1996 – 25 April 1998 | |
| Preceded by | Forum created |
| Succeeded by | Forum dissolved |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Iris Collins (1949-09-06)6 September 1949 (age 75) Belfast,Northern Ireland, UK |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Independent (2010–present) Democratic Unionist Party (until 2010) |
| Spouse | Peter Robinson(1970–present) |
| Children | 3 |
| Residence(s) | Belfast, Northern Ireland |
| Alma mater | Cregagh Technical College |
| Profession | Secretary |
Iris Robinson (néeCollins; born 6 September 1949) is a formerDemocratic Unionist Party (DUP) politician inNorthern Ireland.She is married toPeter Robinson, who wasFirst Minister of Northern Ireland from 2008 to 2016.
Robinson was first elected councillor forCastlereagh Borough Council in 1989, and served as Mayor in 1992 and 1995.[1] She was a member of the Northern Ireland Forum for Political Dialogue from 1995 to 1997. In 1998 she was elected to theNorthern Ireland Assembly for theDemocratic Unionist Party as member for Strangford, acting as Deputy Whip and health spokesperson.[2] She was elected as DUPMember of Parliament forStrangford at the2001 general election, replacing theUlster Unionist Party'sJohn Taylor. She was re-elected at the2005 general election.
Robinson describes herself as aborn-again Christian,[3] and has publicly stated that "the government has the responsibility to uphold God's laws".[4] In light of this, she was criticised for her views onhomosexuality in 2008.[5]
In December 2009, Robinson announced that she would leave politics and withdraw from public life following prolonged periods of mental illness.[6]In January 2010, it emerged that Robinson had anextramarital affair with a 19-year-old in 2008,[7] and she and her husband were faced with allegations of financial impropriety related to the affair. It was announced on 9 January 2010 that her membership of the DUP had been terminated,[8] and that she would stand down from elected office.[9] On 12 January 2010 she resigned from the Northern Ireland Assembly,[10] and on 13 January 2010, she resigned from theHouse of Commons and from Castlereagh Borough Council.[11][12][13]
The oldest of seven children, Iris Collins was born inBelfast,Northern Ireland to Mary McCarten and Joseph Collins, an English soldier. She grew up in a working-class area in the east of the city.[14] She describes herself as aborn again Christian[3] and attends Metropolitan Tabernacle Church in Belfast.[2] She comes from family with a mixed religious background as ten of her first cousins are Roman Catholics.[15] She attended Cregagh Primary School, Knockbreda Intermediate School and Cregagh Technical College before becoming a secretary.[2]
She married Peter Robinson on 26 July 1970. They were the first husband and wife ever to represent Northern Ireland constituencies in Parliament at the same time.[16] They have three grown-up children: Jonathan, Gareth and Rebekah.[17] Gareth Robinson is also a former Councillor on Castlereagh Borough Council.
Outside politics Robinson listed her interests as charity fundraising formultiple sclerosis, interior design and horseriding.[1][14]
Robinson was first elected councillor forCastlereagh (borough) in 1989. She became the Council's first woman mayor in 1992[2] and served as mayor again in 1995.[1] She was a member of theNorthern Ireland Forum for Political Dialogue from 1995 to 1997. She was elected to theNorthern Ireland Assembly in 1998, representing the constituency ofStrangford. She acted as the DUP health spokesperson.[2]
Robinson was elected as theDUPMember of theParliament of the United Kingdom forStrangford at the2001 general election, replacing theUlster Unionist Party'sJohn Taylor. She was re-elected at the2005 general election.
Since taking up her seat in theHouse of Commons, Robinson has voted in 32 per cent of votes in parliament, below the average among MPs.[18] In her maiden speech she spoke about the "betrayal" felt by the Royal Ulster Constabulary, criticising the Government's policy on policing.[19]
Robinson's voting record shows that she voted strongly against introducingfoundation hospitals, very strongly for theIraq War, moderately for an investigation into said war, voted moderately againstLGBT rights, and never voted on transparent Parliament or onreplacing Trident.[18] Robinson also voted for Labour's 42-day terror detention, part of theCounter-Terrorism Bill.[20]
Robinson was suspended from Stormont for a day on 19 November 2007 after refusing to withdraw "unparliamentary" comments she had made about the health minister,Michael McGimpsey.[21]
In an interview with theSunday Tribune in April 2008, anticipating becoming "First Lady" of Northern Ireland, Iris spoke out againstHillary Clinton alluding to her husband's affair withMonica Lewinsky: "No woman would put up with what she tolerated from her husband when he was president. She was thinking only of her future political career. It's all about power and not principle."[22][23]
In June 2008, shortly after a physical assault on a homosexual man in Northern Ireland, she made comments on theBBC Radio Ulster'sThe Nolan Show offering to recommend homosexuals to psychiatric counselling.[24] While condemning the attack,[25] she called homosexuality an "abomination" that made her feel "sick" and "nauseous", and offered to refer homosexuals to a psychiatrist she knew. In a subsequent interview, Robinson defended her views and denied prejudice against homosexuals, saying that "just as a murderer can be redeemed by the blood ofChrist, so can a homosexual.... If anyone takes issue, they're taking issue with the word ofGod".[26] Her comments were rebuffed by representatives of theRoyal College of Psychiatrists, theRainbow Project, theAlliance Party,[27]Sinn Féin,[28] and theSocial Democratic and Labour Party.[29][30] The psychiatrist in question, Dr. Paul Miller later resigned as her adviser and stood down from his post of consultant psychiatrist at Belfast's Mater hospital. He is no longer a consultant psychiatrist within the NHS and has been reported to the General Medical Council (GMC).[31][32] A police investigation followed these comments, over 100 complaints were made,[33][34][35] andgay rights activist Robert Toner also made a complaint to the Equality Commission.[33][36][37][38]
Robinson subsequently repeated her views in parliamentary session. Speaking in a 17 June 2008Northern Ireland Grand Committee session onRisk Assessment and Management of Sex Offenders, she said: "There can be no viler act, apart from homosexuality andsodomy, thansexually abusing innocent children."[39] She reiterated her statement to theBelfast Telegraph on 21 June 2008,[40] but later stated that she had been "misrepresented" inHansard.[41] This statement was challenged when Alliance Party Executive Director Gerry Lynch confirmed withHansard staff that Robinson's comments were in fact correctly quoted.[42] Further controversy was caused on 17 July 2008 when onThe Nolan Show Robinson stated "it is the government's responsibility to uphold God's law".[43] In theNorthern Ireland Assembly on 30 June 2008, in a discussion about "LGBT Groups: Mental-Health Needs", Robinson said that "Homosexuality, like all sin, is an abomination", and suggested that teenagers needed help deciding whether they were homosexual or heterosexual.[44][45] During this period, Robinson herself was having anextra-marital affair with a 19-year-old man.[46]
By late July 2008, theBelfast Telegraph reported that "[A]lmost 11,000 people have signed a petition calling onBritish Prime MinisterGordon Brown to reprimand DUP MP Iris Robinson over her controversial remarks about homosexuality" and "[Fewer than] 30 people have signed an opposing petition calling on the Prime Minister to allow the comments to go un-reprimanded as a matter of personal opinion and religion".[47] As a result of her comments, Robinson was named "Bigot of the Year" for 2008 byStonewall.[48][49][50]
In April 2009, both Iris and Peter Robinson came under fire after Commons MPs' expenses accounts were leaked to the press. The couple were described as the"swish family Robinson" by theNews of the World andDaily Mail after claims that they were receiving £571,939.41 a year in various salaries and expenses.[51][52][53]
On 28 December 2009, and immediately prior to the airing of an investigative BBC programme looking at her personal life and financial dealings, Robinson announced her decision to retire from politics after claiming that she had been suffering serious bouts of stress and depression. At the time she said the stress and strain of public life came at a cost, and that her health had suffered.[54]
On 6 January 2010, Robinson issued a statement in which she said that she had attemptedsuicide on 1 March 2009.BBC'sSpotlight programme revealed on 7 January 2010 that Robinson had had an affair with Kirk McCambley, who was 19 years old at the time.[7][55] It is also alleged that she encouraged friends to provide financial backing to assist her lover in a business venture.[56] According to a BBC investigation, the payments she arranged from two property developers to McCambley were £50,000. As the £50,000 was not declared to theNorthern Ireland Assembly, this action broke the law. Robinson subsequently asked McCambley for £5,000 in cash; as well as a cheque made out to Dundonald's Light 'n Life Church, where Peter Robinson's sister, Rev. Pat Herron is pastor. It is alleged that Peter pressed his wife to return this money – however, he did not inform the proper authorities about the large monetary transactions, which is a breach of his duty and responsibility as First Minister of Northern Ireland.[57] Reports have been made of further affairs, with among others, Kirk McCambley's father Billy, who died in 2008.[58]
Robinson's intention to retire from elected office was announced on 11 January 2010[9] and she resigned on 13 January 2010.
Castlereagh Borough Council announced on 14 January 2010 that it had voted to carry out an external investigation in the catering contract awarded to Kirk McCambley. Terms of reference for the investigation include identifying if the Council incurred any financial loss and whether officers and elected representatives complied with the requirements of all relevant local government legislation and guidance in the awarding the lease for the Lock-Keeper's Inn.[59] On 26 May 2011, the DUP announced that an independent investigation has "cleared Iris Robinson of any wrongdoing in connection with the awarding of a contract to her former teenage lover", though the findings of the investigative report have not been publicly circulated.[60]
ThePSNI announced on 21 January 2010 that they were to conduct an investigation into Iris Robinson's financial affairs.[61] On 20 February 2010 officers from PSNI searched the offices of Castlereagh Borough Council as part of this investigation.[62] On 25 June 2010, it became public that Robinson had been interviewed as part of a police investigation over money she obtained from two developers.[63]
Robinson reportedly received "acute psychiatric treatment" and was under 24-hour suicide watch following the BBCSpotlight documentary.[64][65]
It was reported that Robinson had been receiving psychiatric treatment in a London clinic from January 2010 and returned to Northern Ireland on 19 September 2010 to continue treatment.[66]
Robinson made her first appearance in public almost seven months after her return, at the funeral of her mother at Bethany Free Presbyterian Church in County Armagh on 14 April 2011. Among the mourners was deputy First MinisterMartin McGuinness who embraced Robinson on the steps of the church.
Her husband stated his wife was too ill to attend thewedding of Prince William of Wales and Kate Middleton on 29 April 2011.[67] Robinson did, however, attend the state banquet inDublin during theQueen's visit to theRepublic of Ireland 20 days later on 18 May 2011.[68]
On 8 November 2019, an opera featuring Robinson's homophobic views was staged in Belfast.Abomination, A DUP Opera, composed by Conor Mitchell, opened the 2019 Outburst Queer Arts Festival at the Lyric Theatre.[69] It toured Belfast and Dublin in 2022, before receiving its London premiere at the Southbank Arts Centre in May 2023.[70]
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link){{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link){{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal= (help)| Northern Ireland Forum | ||
|---|---|---|
| New forum | Member forStrangford 1996–1998 | Forum dissolved |
| Northern Ireland Assembly | ||
| New assembly | MLA forStrangford 1998–2010 | Succeeded by |
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forStrangford 2001–2010 | Succeeded by |
