The Tony Blair administration adjusted the rules governing the ceremonial laying of wreaths at the Cenotaph to maintain Unionist support for Northern Ireland’s peace process, according to newly disclosed documents.
The change, made ahead of the 2004 Remembrance Sunday service, affected guidelines established in 1984. Originally, parties that secured at least six seats in the prior general election were eligible to lay a wreath. This permitted David Trimble, leader of the Ulster Unionist party (UUP), who had won six seats in 2001, to participate, while his rival Ian Paisley of the Democratic Unionist party (DUP) was excluded, having won only five seats.
However, with Jeffrey Donaldson’s defection from the UUP to the DUP in 2003, the UUP no longer met the threshold, and the DUP demanded fair treatment.
Government documents reveal that Paul Murphy, then the Northern Ireland Secretary, foresaw intense pressure from the DUP, now not only the largest party in Northern Ireland but also with six Members of Parliament. Consequently, the 1984 rules were reconsidered.
Charlie Falconer, then the Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs, raised concerns about potential adverse reactions from Scottish and Welsh nationalists, who would be limited to a joint wreath while Northern Irish parties could lay individual wreaths.
Subsequently, both Paisley and Trimble took part in the Cenotaph ceremony, reflecting the revised rules and the DUP’s status.
Additional files reveal that Jonathan Powell, then Blair’s chief of staff, privately urged Blair to persuade “securocrats” in the British state to dismantle observation towers and armored bases swiftly to engage the IRA in the peace process, which was at a critical juncture.
Powell emphasized the absence of a Plan B and the dire state of the Northern Ireland executive, loyalist violence, and IRA demobilization efforts.
These documents provide insight into the delicate negotiations and high-stakes diplomacy of the Blair administration in involving key actors in the Northern Ireland peace process.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/jul/22/cenotaph-wreath-rules-changed-placate-unionists-dup-tony-blair-national-archives
