Sinn Féin West Tyrone MP at Tory Party Conference

Sinn Féin West Tyrone MP, Pat Doherty will address a fringe meeting at the British Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham tomorrow (Tuesday) morning.

Before leaving for Birmingham Pat Doherty said:

“On the day that my Party colleagues will be arguing in the Assembly for deferral of the Welfare Reform Bill until there are substantial amendments made to it, I will take the opportunity at the Conservative Party Conference to impress on the British Tories its unacceptability to the people of the North of Ireland.

“Rather than much needed reform as the Tories are attempting to portray their proposals they are in fact a continuation of the cuts agenda from a British Government that cannot relate to the needs of the people. Reducing disposable income coupled with the reduction of spending on infrastructure and capital projects will have the inevitable effect of pushing more people into poverty and deprivation. This is further evidence of the need to have maximum fiscal powers transferred away from London to the Assembly as it is clear that economic policy makers in Whitehall have no conception of the social and economic conditions that pertain here.

“I will be highlighting the detrimental effects of the £4 billion cut to the North's budget which are already having devastating effects on our economy.

“I also intend to raise the Marion Price and Martin Corey cases and call on the new British Secretary of State to take a more enlightened and sensible approach to this issue than her predecessor Owen Paterson.”