Ulster Unionist Peer Lord Empey has issued the following statement after revelations at the NI Affairs Committee today.
Lord Empey said:
“I have long argued that there was a deal done during the Blair years with Col Gadaffi. Why else would the UK be the principal victim of Libyan semtex yet be the only country not to seek compensation? Germany, France and the United States all secured compensation for their citizens, yet the United Kingdom - whose citizens took the brunt of the violence - neither asked for nor received anything!
“The shoddy way that the recent Shawcross report has been handled reinforces the view that the Government has something to hide.
“With an income stream coming from tax revenues on frozen Libyan assets held in London, the Government has no excuse for further delay in starting a compensation process.
“Any monies used now in advance of a final deal with Libya should be recovered later. For a deal to be done, London must be prepared to use its veto at the UN Security Council and prevent a release of frozen assets unless an accommodation can be reached.
“It seems to me and members of the Parliamentary Support Group for victims of Libyan sponsored terrorism that only Prime Minister Boris Johnson can break the current stalemate and get justice for the victims.”