London - British Ministers considered the likely reaction of the Irish Government before announcing their decision not to commemorate next year's 200th anniversary of the creation on the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, it was disclosed last night.
Junior minister Baroness Scotland of Asthal told Ulster Unionist Lord Laird in a written reply that the Foreign Office had consulted the Cabinet Office and the Northern Ireland Office.
"Among factors taken into account were the government's overall policy towards marking anniversaries of this kind, the current political situation in Northern Ireland and our relations with the Irish Government," she said.
