Call for inquiry into mayor's Gaza trip

Mr Campbell has raised the matter with the local government auditor

The DUP councillor and MP Gregory Campbell has called for an inquiry into why Derry City Council paid for the mayor to visit Gaza.

Paul Fleming visited the area with a group which included a Sinn Fein party colleague after an invitation from the mayor of Gaza.

Sinn Fein has said Mr Fleming was not part of a party delegation.

Mr Campbell said there was no benefit to the visit and ratepayers should not have had to pay for it.

"In a Sinn Fein statement to the local press they indicated the mayor was going as part of a Sinn Fein delegation, which not only included the councillor who had raised the issue but the Sinn Fein member of the European Parliament as well.

"I have written to the local government auditor asking him to investigate, and I await the outcome of that investigation," said Mr Campbell.

"Does this mean if we get an invitation from Jerusalem or somewhere else in Israel or South Africa or any other trouble spot in the world that we're going to pay for the mayor to go out there?

"Are ratepayers paying for a Sinn Fein delegation to be accompanied by the mayor, that's the first question that needs answered.

"Even if that isn't the case, are we establishing the principle that whenever any mayor of any trouble spot writes to our mayor then we say we'll go along for a few days?

"What benefit would our ratepayers derive from that?"

Mr Fleming said he visited Gaza in response to a civic invite "to go out and see at first hand the humanitarian situation out there.

"I want to be very clear, there was no Sinn Fein delegation in Gaza.

"My trip was as a civic representative of Derry City Council, and I am very saddened that a visit to see first hand the plight of the Palestinian people in Gaza has been overtaken by Gregory Campbell.

A spokesperson for Derry City Council said the mayor was on an official civic visit which cost approximately £1,000.