Debate contribution: UK COVID-19 Inquiry Report
Debate contribution by Mr Phillip Brett on .
- MLA
- Mr Phillip Brett
- Party at the time
- Democratic Unionist Party
- Date
- 24 November 2025
- Type
- Debate contribution
- Business
- Matter of the Day
- Heading
- UK COVID-19 Inquiry Report
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5253878
Read the official Assembly record
Text
"Do as I say, not as I do" perfectly sums up the attitude of Sinn Féin during the COVID pandemic. At a time when people were dying alone, our older people were shielded in care homes, our front-line health workers risked their lives day and daily and businessmen and women watched what they had built over years disappear in front of their eyes, they saw laws made in this place that the now First Minister thought did not apply to her. We had a situation in which a Provo show of strength was put ahead of the safety of every person here in Northern Ireland. That was a shame then, and it is a shame today. It is telling that, in the remarks made by those on the Benches opposite, we have had no apology officially on the record of the House for the breaches that they and their colleagues incurred. There was a clear demonstration in the report that Ministers tried to use the pandemic as an opportunity to push forward an all-island agenda rather than the factual medical situation that pertained here to Northern Ireland. Who will forget the fake, phantom PPE order by Minister Conor Murphy, who proclaimed from the steps of the House that he had secured a historic medical order for the people of Northern Ireland? Little did he know that that Chinese equipment did not exist, and, when asked by his counterparts in the Republic of Ireland whether it existed, they said no. We will also not forget the actions of the Alliance Party, the SDLP and Sinn Féin, who, at the height of the pandemic, put forward their view that they should traipse down to Dublin to call for the rigorous implementation of the Northern Ireland protocol rather than continue to have a united message on health here in Northern Ireland. This party was a voice of reason during the COVID pandemic. When others tried to have draconian laws that, they believed, should not apply to them, this party proudly stood up and spoke up for citizens
right across Northern Ireland. They may not like the truth now
but they cannot shout us down. The SDLP, whose Members shout from the Opposition Benches, wanted to sack nurses because they did not want to comply with their draconian legislation. They were happy to traipse to Dublin to try to dismantle businesses further. This party will always be a party of reason and of freedom of expression.
412 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Legacy of the Troubles, victims and paramilitarism
Jev’s structured answers met every documented threshold for a qualifying culture-war activity.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.70 (qualifying needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not qualifying).
- Criteria met: Dog-whistle messaging (0.69).
- The text adopts the identity-based framing in its own voice (0.74).
- Subject area: Legacy of the Troubles, victims and paramilitarism.
- All qualifying thresholds were met.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.47 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.22 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.04 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.69 | Yes |
| Controversy escalation | 0.32 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.26 | No |
| Overall judgement | 0.70 | Above qualifying threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing | 0.24 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.02 |
| Adopts it (chosen) | 0.74 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Legacy of the Troubles, victims and paramilitarism | 0.61 |
| Constitutional question, Brexit, the Windsor Framework and sovereignty | 0.25 |
| Sectarianism, hate crime and community relations | 0.08 |
| No identity-related subject | 0.05 |
| Another identity-related subject | 0.01 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 13:48 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
Disagree with this assessment?
Classifications can be challenged. A person reviews every challenge, and any change is recorded publicly above with its reason.