‘I was offered a knighthood but turned it down’

The former Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) leader Colum Eastwood has revealed he was once offered a knighthood.

The Foyle MP said he was offered the title by a politician at Westminster but said he would not have accepted the honour.

He said that when offered he used strong language and asked the person if they “knew who it is you’re talking to”.

The nationalist politician was speaking as part of a wide-ranging interview with the BBC’s Red Lines podcast, which also looked at dysfunction at Stormont and his life since stepping down as SDLP leader.

Addressing the possibility of a knighthood, Eastwood told the podcast that “not that long ago, when the Tories were in power, I was offered a knighthood”.

“I looked at the person and used language that I can’t use in this podcast and said: ‘Do you know who it is you’re talking to?’

“And [they said] ‘well, what about the privy council, would you like to go on the privy council?’

“I said: ‘I tell you what, the Budget’s coming up, throw in a few quid for Derry from that Towns Fund and that’ll do alright.’

“So we got £20m for Derry as part of that conversation.”

Discussing the power-sharing executive at Stormont, Eastwood’s said it was easier to deliver for people in Northern Ireland when there was no functioning government at Stormont.

“I find it easier to get things done for people in Derry when Stormont’s collapsed, because they just get in the way,” he said.

“I think people feel Stormont isn’t working and there’s a big problem with that because, at some point, the next time it collapses, people will say, ‘let’s just leave it down’, and I don’t think that would be good either.

“People deserve government, I think, that delivers for them and I’m not sure too many people would agree that they have been delivering.”

Eastwood, who stepped down as SDLP leader last year, said he is still considering whether to put himself forward as a candidate in this year’s Irish presidential election.

He also said that stepping down as leader of his party after nine years at the helm was “a bit of an adjustment”.

“I kept meeting people in the street who told me I looked very happy for the first time in a while and it looked like the shoulders had dropped. I’m enjoying now not having that daily pressure that party leaders have. It’s just constant,” he added.

His political career, however, has not come without a toll on his personal life, Eastwood admitted.

The father-of-two said the breakdown of his marriage was “probably the hardest thing I’ve ever been involved in” but that he remains good friends with his ex-wife.

Eastwood confirmed that they are both happy with new partners and that he is in a relationship with the Labour MP, and former shadow Northern Ireland Secretary, Louise Haigh.

He said: “We’re very happy and we’re getting on well. It’s fun and it’s interesting. Louise is great and people here will know Louise from her time in Northern Ireland.

“She’s a feisty, strong, tough MP for Sheffield but also somebody who is prepared to say what needs to be said in difficult times even when it costs you your political career.

“I think maybe we have got a lot in common around that.”