MP suggests Republic of Ireland should take ‘rightful' place in Commonwealth
Andrew Rosindell said Ireland 'would do well to emulate countries such as Australia, Canada and New Zealand' and take its 'rightful' place in the Commonwealth.
The MP for Romford also called for a bank holiday to mark St Patrick's Day and the resurrection of the Order of St Patrick.
Speaking during a St Patrick's Day and Northern Irish affairs debate, Mr Rosindell said: 'The Republic of Ireland, I believe are our friends but we can be much closer, fully realising that we are one family that share a unique group of islands in all spheres of national operation.
'Indeed, Ireland could do much more work themselves, alongside her British brother and her loyal northern neighbour, in recognising that shared heritage and advancing shared values and goals on the global stage.
'Ireland would do well to emulate countries such as Australia, Canada and New Zealand. I believe that one day, perhaps soon, the people of the Republic of Ireland might choose to take their rightful place in the family of the Commonwealth of nations.
'Taking our deep neighbourly relations to the next level to the benefit of both partners, and I believe having a bounteous benefit to global politics.'
Mr Rosindell argued that St Patrick's Day, in addition to St David's Day, St Andrew's Day and St George's Day, should all be bank holidays across the UK.
He told MPs: 'I would strongly submit that St Patrick's Day should be a national bank holiday, alongside all the other feast days of our Kingdom's patron saints.'
He added: 'Not only would this be firmly in line with the position of Anglicanism, as the unchallenged state religion, but would reinforce the importance of all four corners of our nation.
'So too would the resurrection of the Order of St Patrick, which has shamefully been allowed to fall into abeyance for many decades, but I believe remains a sovereign order of the United Kingdom, and I hope the minister will take that back as a consideration for something to be restored.'
Mr Rosindell continued: 'Today, I believe we must focus more on bringing the four home nations of… Great Britain and Northern Ireland together, and reversing the constitutional backsliding that I believe has occurred with the British internal markets.'
Speaking from the Conservative frontbench, Jerome Mayhew, whose late father Patrick was Northern Ireland secretary under John Major, said the restoration of the Order of St Patrick would be 'a very sensible thing to do'.
In the Commons, Northern Ireland minister Fleur Anderson said: 'The Order of St Patrick, I will take away that mention as well.'
Responding to a written question from Conservative MP Charlie Dewhirst (Bridlington and The Wolds) on Wednesday, Cabinet Office minister Nick Thomas-Symonds said: 'The most illustrious Order of Saint Patrick is in the personal gift of the sovereign.
'The UK Government is not considering the restoration of the Order of St Patrick.'
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Daily Mirror
3 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
First Farage, now Jenrick, the BBC pandering to the extremists does nothing to dial down the temperature
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Spectator
32 minutes ago
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Daily Mirror
33 minutes ago
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MIKEY SMITH: 12 wild Donald Trump moments as he floats second meeting with Putin and Zelensky
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In 2022, Simmons said on Bill Maher's podcast that he was initially happy when Trump won in 2016, but within a couple of years he had thought again. He said: "Look what that gentleman did to this country and the polarisation - got all the cockroaches to rise to the top. Once upon a time, you were embarrassed to be publicly racist and out there with conspiracy theories. Now it's all out in the open because he allowed it." "I don't think he's a Republican or a Democrat. He's out for himself, any way you can get there. And in the last election, over 70 million people bought it hook, line and sinker," Paul Stanley has said Trump is a "a true danger to democracy" and likened him to a "mob boss." He said January 6 Capitol riot was "armed insurrection," accusing the president (and certain senators) of stoking the flames. Both Stanley and Simmons released statements saying they were honoured to be recognised by the Kennedy Centre. 4. 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The people who were told they were overreacting to this move are starting to look pretty smug. 7. Stop calling me a dictator! Speaking of his police state, Trump is starting to get a bit sensitive about people calling him a dictator as a result. He said: "Already they're saying, 'He's a dictator!" "The place is going to hell and we got to stop it. So instead of saying 'he's a dictator' they should say 'we're going to join him in making Washington safe.' "They say 'he's a dictator!' and then they end up getting mugged." 8. DC residents protest against random traffic stops Residents in one Washington, DC, neighbourhood lined up last night to protest the increased police presence After law enforcement set up a vehicle checkpoint along the busy 14th Street Northwest corridor, hecklers shouted, 'Go home, fascists' and 'Get off our streets.' Some protesters stood at the intersection before the checkpoint and urged drivers to turn away from it. 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Councilmember Christina Henderson downplayed the arrest reports as 'a bunch of traffic stops' and said the administration was seeking to disguise how unnecessary this federal intervention is. 'I'm looking at this list of arrests and they sound like a normal Saturday night in any big city,' said Henderson. 9. This pretty much sums it up Locals reacted with some derision to a large group of troops and officers being deployed to the well-to-do neighbourhood of Georgetown, where one is more likely to find an organic wine bar or viral cupcake store than a violent crime in progress. (That might sound glib, but in the last 12 months there have been exactly 226 recorded crimes in Georgetown, of which zero were violent crimes. There were two burglaries "Georgetown?" Robbie Sherwood, an Arizona Democrat staffer joked. "Did they bust somebody for pairing Chardonnay with a steak?" 10. An apology Something has happened that almost never happens this way round. Something I assumed was a cheeky parody account on Twitter is actually the real thing. A few weeks ago, a Twitter account called GovPressOffice, purporting to be run by the office of California Governor Gavin Newsom started posting some notably edgy content. It aped the Donald's posting style, sporadically saying things in ALL CAPS, and referring to Newsom as "YOUR FAVOURITE GOVERNOR". It keeps issuing ultimatums about California doing some gerrymandering of its own to combat the rigging going down in Texas and other red states at Trump's behest. It signs tweets off with "Thankyou for your attention in this matter", just like the Donald does. And while I prefer the Renfield comparison, it refers to Stephen Miller as "Voldemort", which is medium funny. Here's a few examples of the fun being had over there. So being a rigorous, sceptical reporter, I obviously assumed it was a prank. Someone got hold of an official looking handle and was having some fun with it. I was wrong. There's a genuine paper trail to suggest @GovPressOffice is indeed official, and linked to Gavin Newsom, with official posts on Newsom's website linking to it as recently as June. So I apologise for being too sceptical for my own good, but also, you're welcome for being able to enjoy this madness. 11. Russia will face 'severe consequences' Trump was asked if Russia will face any consequences if Putin doesn't agree to stop the war after they meet in Alaska tomorrow. Trump replied: "Yes they will." Asked, not unreasonably what those consequences will be, he replied: "There will be...I don't have to say, but there will be severe consequences." Get Donald Trump updates straight to your WhatsApp! As the world attempts to keep up with Trump's antics, the Mirror has launched its very own US Politics WhatsApp community where you'll get all the latest news from across the pond. We'll send you the latest breaking updates and exclusives all directly to your phone. Users must download or already have WhatsApp on their phones to join in. All you have to do to join is click on this link, select 'Join Chat' and you're in! We may also send you stories from other titles across the Reach group. We will also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose Exit group. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. 12. Melania threatens to sue Hunter Biden Melania Trump has demanded that Hunter Biden retract comments linking her to sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein and threatened to sue if he does not. Trump takes issue with two comments Biden, son of former President Joe Biden, made in an interview this month with American journalist Andrew Callaghan. He alleged that Epstein introduced the first lady to now-President Donald Trump. The statements are false, defamatory and 'extremely salacious,' Melania Trump's lawyer, Alejandro Brito, wrote in a letter to Biden. Biden's remarks were widely disseminated on social media and reported by media outlets around the world, causing the first lady 'to suffer overwhelming financial and reputational harm,' he wrote.
