General

North Ireland rocked adultery scandal

Wife of N. Ireland’s first minister had affair with man 40 years her junior

After admitting yesterday that his wife was having an affair, Peter Robinson, Northern Ireland’s first minister, has become embroiled in even more controversy. A British news show has revealed that the café owner with whom Iris Robinson was having the affair was 19 at the time—she was 59. But the scandal gets even worse. The show alleges that Iris Robinson, who is a member of parliament, organized a nearly $83,000 business deal to establish her lover’s business without declaring her interest. The program also pointed a finger at the first minister, saying he became aware of the relationship and the deal but didn’t alert authorities. Opposition MPs are demanding Iris Robinson step down immediately, and she has promised to end her career in politics at the country’s next election. This isn’t her first brush with controversy. In 2008, Iris Robinson told a British radio show that homosexuality was a nausea-inducing “abomination” and refused to apologize, going on to compare it to pedophilia and saying that “just as a murderer can be redeemed by the blood of Christ, so can a homosexual…. If anyone takes issue, they’re taking issue with the word of God.”

The First Post

UK Parliament Records

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