27 February 2026
Colum Eastwood MP has said that unlawful surveillance of journalists by police and intelligence services is completely unacceptable and must be subject to rigorous public scrutiny.
Mr Eastwood was speaking as RTÉ Northern Editor Vincent Kearney takes MI5, the Metropolitan Police and PSNI to the Investigatory Powers Tribunal in London this week.
Mr Eastwood has previously called for a public inquiry into the scale of police and intelligence service surveillance used against journalists, lawyers and politicians.
Colum Eastwood MP said:
“What we already know about intelligence service surveillance of journalists in Northern Ireland is shocking and points to a completely reckless attitude from state agencies toward not just the rights of individual journalists and their sources but to democratic norms in our society.
“The way that Vincent Kearney has been treated is totally unacceptable and it follows similar behaviour in the case of Trevor Birney and Barry McCaffrey. The broad powers of surveillance available to the state were used unethically and unlawfully not just to target journalists but to undermine the legitimate scrutiny they were bringing to bear against those authorities.
“We expect to learn more about the scale of surveillance over the course of the coming days but this process, in itself, is subject to its own degree of secrecy. I have asked questions in parliament about the surveillance of journalists, lawyers and politicians without meaningful answers. I remain of the view that a public inquiry into these matters is the only way to meaningfully reveal the truth and begin to undo the immense damage to public confidence.”