Wilson insists the DUP’s secret meetings with Sinn Fein did not breach party policy

DUP veteran Sammy Wilson has confirmed he took part in secret meetings with Sinn Fein at a time when his party was publicly denying such engagements.

Wilson was reacting to reports in a recently published book by former Methodist Church leader Reverend Harold Good that he hosted a discussion between DUP and Sinn Fein activists at his home three years before the two sides’ historic power-sharing agreement in 2007.

The DUP has long insisted it did not speak to Sinn Fein before March 2007, when then leaders, the Reverend Ian Paisley and Gerry Adams, and their delegations met shortly before the parties took up leading roles in the re-established devolved directorship at Stormont.

In his book In Good Time, Reverend Good recalls hosting meetings of Sir Jeffrey Donaldson and Martin McGuinness in his home. He said Wilson also participated in some of the discussions.

Wilson confirmed his participation on Tuesday but insisted the meetings were not contrary to the DUP’s publicly expressed position.

He said that while his party was opposed to negotiations with Sinn Fein at the time, he maintained that the meetings led by Reverend Good did not constitute negotiations.

He also clarified that he had never personally denied taking part.

“I was never, ever asked if I was involved in these meetings, so I never went into any denials,” Wilson said.

Appearing on BBC Radio Ulster’s Talkback program, the East Antrim MP rejected the suggestion that his party had lied to the public and was owed an apology.

“The party’s official position was that we would not enter into negotiations with Sinn Fein until certain things changed, and that was right, it was not a negotiation, we were just talking to them,” he said.

Asked if he believed he and his party owed the people of Northern Ireland an apology, he replied: “No, no, because we didn’t lie to them.”

He said that before any period of negotiations enters the “final phase”, both sides are trying to establish the other’s position and what they are willing to accept.

“We did not lie to the public,” he said.

“The party has taken an official position. Individual party members, and I was one of them, individual party members took the opportunity whenever possible to get information and feedback so that people could know whether there was something to be done or not.

He added: “You tried to find out through all available channels whether there was actually something to be done or not.”