UUP leader calls for Anne Donaghy to be stripped of OBE following convictions

Former chief executive of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council, Anne Donaghy, and (inset) UUP Party Leader Jon Burrows

Ulster Unionist Party leader and North Antrim MLA Jon Burrows has called for former Mid and East Antrim Borough Council chief executive Anne Donaghy to be stripped of her OBE following her conviction on two charges connected to the deletion of an email to prevent its disclosure under Freedom of Information law.

Mr Burrows has written to the Honours Forfeiture Committee asking for the honour to be removed “at the earliest opportunity”, arguing that Donaghy’s convictions have brought discredit upon local government and public service.

The intervention comes after Donaghy, 56, was fined a total of £1,500 at Ballymena Magistrates’ Court following her conviction on two charges relating to an email sent to the private email address of then-DUP leader and First Minister Arlene Foster.

Donaghy was cleared of a third charge. Her co-accused, former council director of corporate services Aaron McClelland, was acquitted of the single charge against him.

Burrows asks Honours Committee to act

In his letter to the Honours Forfeiture Committee, Mr Burrows said:

“I am writing regarding the former Chief Executive of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council, Anne Donaghy OBE, who has been convicted of two offences relating to the deletion, or attempted deletion, of an email in order to prevent its disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act.

“Ms Donaghy was awarded an OBE for services to local government and the community. In my view, her criminal conduct represents a serious breach of the standards expected of a recipient of such an honour and has brought discredit upon both local government and public service.

“I therefore believe it is in the public interest that her OBE be forfeited at the earliest opportunity.”

The letter represents a political call for Donaghy’s honour to be forfeited; it does not mean that her OBE has been removed or that forfeiture will automatically follow her convictions.

What happens to Donaghy’s OBE now?

The Honours Forfeiture Committee considers cases where a person’s conduct may be considered to bring the honours system into disrepute.

The committee can make a recommendation for forfeiture, but the process is separate from the criminal proceedings against Donaghy. Mr Burrows’ letter is therefore a request for the committee to consider action rather than a decision on the future of her OBE.

Donaghy received an OBE for services to local government and the community.

Any forfeiture would require the formal honours process to run its course.

Judge found intention was to prevent disclosure

Donaghy’s convictions followed a trial concerning events at Mid and East Antrim Borough Council during controversy over post-Brexit arrangements at Larne Port in 2021.

District Judge Alana McSorley said Donaghy had been under mounting political pressure when she instructed her personal assistant to delete an email sent to Foster.

The judge said a perception that Donaghy had been too close to the DUP “formed the basis” of her decision to delete the email.

Judge McSorley said the “irrefutable conclusion” was that Donaghy had intended to prevent disclosure of information.

Donaghy’s defence had disputed the prosecution’s explanation for the deletion.

The court heard that Donaghy maintained she was concerned about Foster’s private email address entering the public domain at a time when information was being leaked from the council. Her defence also pointed to hard copies of the correspondence having been retained.

The defence further argued that there was no live Freedom of Information request on the date Donaghy asked for the Foster email to be deleted.

Judge McSorley ultimately convicted Donaghy on two counts relating to the Foster email and imposed fines of £750 on each count.

She was acquitted of a third charge relating to an attempt to have a separate email deleted.

Political fallout now moves beyond the courtroom

Mr Burrows’ intervention marks a new development following the conclusion of the criminal case, shifting attention from Donaghy’s convictions to whether there should be consequences for the honour she received for her work in public service.

The decision is not Mr Burrows’ to make. His letter places the issue before the body responsible for considering whether circumstances justify forfeiture.

Unless and until that process results in a formal decision, Anne Donaghy retains her OBE.