“Let me put it like this: I am not prepared to officiate over on behalf of the British government what I think is a disastrous strategy which will impact on some of the most vulnerable and poorest people within our society.”

Irish republican politician and statesman

Martin McGuinness was an Irish republican politician and statesman associated with Sinn Féin. He was a leading figure in the Provisional Irish Republican Army during The Troubles. He later served as deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland from May 2007 to January 2017. His public life is tied to the Northern Ireland conflict and its political aftermath, where he moved from militant republican leadership into high office.