Heaton-Harris: We must not take peace for granted in Northern Ireland

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Peace in Northern Ireland “must not be taken for granted”, the UK Government has warned, as MPs marked the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement. Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris advised caution as he pointed to the decision by MI5 to increase the terror threat level from “substantial” to “severe”, meaning an attack is highly likely. “We have seen the threat level increase recently and increased tension, and it’s as incumbent on all of us now as it was 25 years ago to do whatever we can to protect what is an ongoing process in the peace agreement.” Mr Heaton-Harris said Ms Jardine had delivered “very wise words” and later said: “The fact Northern Ireland has a locally accountable police force also demonstrates the huge progress that Northern Ireland has made. He said: “It’s only a matter of time before that level of violence spills into either injury or death.” He added: “The lesson we can take from that 10-year period of relative stability in 2007 to 2017 is that it is only possible to make progress when we fashion an environment that both unionists and nationalists can buy into.” He went on: “As I look to the future, I am very clear the greatest threat to peace arises from the threat to the Good Friday Agreement, and we should be in no doubt that the threat is now acute.” He also told MPs: “The UK Government now has a choice… I for one hope that it will learn the lessons of the 2007 to 2017 period, and going forward ensure the Good Friday Agreement, amended by the St Andrews Agreement, is upheld and not ignored.