Face of Nation : Three weeks ago, Lord Maginnis told the House of Lords an NIO Civil Servantwas paid £10,000 for having to walk past portraits of the Queen.
The senior employee was reportedly offended by the pictures in the building. The employee was consulted about what image should be used, and suggested one of the Queen meeting Martin McGuinness.
All photos of the Queen have now been removed from Stormont House, the News Letter has reported. Many nationalists in Northern Ireland do not regard themselves as British subjects, and would not recognise the Queen as their head of state.
Ulster Unionist peer Lord Empey said the issue had been raised with Boris Johnson during his visit to Northern Ireland, saying the new prime minister “looked a bit shocked”. “Hopefully his staff will follow up on this and we will get some clarity,” he added.
“If true, this is outrageous. It is political correctness gone mad,” said Ulster Unionist peer Lord Rogan, in reference to the removal of the portraits. When the story was initially reported, Sir Jonathan Stephens, the top civil servant at the NIO, emailed every employee to “offer some reassurance”.
In an email, seen by the BBC, he said the office was in contact with the individual concerned and was offering support. Lord Rogan has since questioned the issue again in the House of Lords. He asked the government to set out the criteria used to determine which portraits are displayed or removed from NIO buildings and to clarify the facts around what Lord Maginnis had told peers.
