Two Unionist MP's Slammed For Accepting Tickets From JTI Worth Over £3,000

Sinn Féin has hit out at two unionist MP's who accepted Rugby World Cup tickets worth over £3,000 from cigarette manufacturers JTI Gallagher, after the firm announced it is to shut down its Ballymena plant with the loss of 870 jobs.

Mr Ian Paisley Jr DUP and the UUP MP Danny Kinahan confirmed they received the tickets as a hospitality gift from JTI.

Sinn Féin MEP Martina Anderson is calling on the two MPs to explain the circumstances of the gifts.

She said: "As Sinn Féin endeavour to fight against the power and devastation caused to citizens health by big tobacco, Unionist MPs are being wined and dined to the sum of £1,650 each, by JTI.

"This manufacturing company and several of its distributors have been implicated in serious instances of smuggling tobacco products. This has included recently smuggling products to buyers in Syria and Iran as well as diverting cigarettes from Russia into the European Union.

"Both MPs claim to have the electorate's best interests at heart whilst accepting such payments, but I'm sure it would be more in line with their constituents interests if they spent less time accepting lavish gifts and more time working to protect the health of their communities from the ravages of tobacco products."

Sinn Féin national chairperson Declan Kearney said: "It would be cold comfort to workers at JTI Gallagher in Ballymena who are facing an uncertain future to learn that the company has spent thousands of pounds entertaining unionist political representatives at World Cup Rugby games.

"People will ask why some political representatives chose to benefit from the hospitality of this company at a time when workers in Ballymena are facing into a bleak Christmas.

"All local politicians have a responsibility to work to save jobs or attract new investment into the North and South Antrim constituencies given recent redundancies in Ballymena."

(CD/LM)