Cenotaph wreath rules were changed to placate unionists, Blair-era files show | National Archives
By: Ben Quinn and Caroline Davies | Published: 2025-07-22 04:00:00 | Source: www.theguardian.com
Tony Blair’s government altered the rules on party leaders laying wreaths at the Cenotaph to keep unionists onboard with Northern Ireland’s peace process, newly released files show.
The decision was taken in the run-up to the Remembrance Sunday ceremony in 2004 to change rules drawn up in 1984 that meant leaders of parties who won at least six seats at the previous general election could lay a wreath.
The old rules meant that David Trimble, whose Ulster Unionist party (UUP) had won six seats in 2001, could take part, while his rival Ian Paisley could not, after his Democratic Unionist party (DUP) won five seats.
However, when Jeffrey Donaldson defected from the UUP to the DUP in 2003, the balance was reversed, and the Democratic Unionists complained they were being treated unfairly.
