UVF leadership launches witch-hunt for mole leaking false ‘plans for transition'

Sunday World

09-07-2025

Paramilitary sources have told the Sunday World the claims 'are for the birds'
Paramilitary sources, reacting to the latest speculation surrounding UVF conditions for the terror group to move away from criminality, have told the Sunday World the claims 'are for the birds'.
And security sources have rubbished any prospect of the government rubber-stamping plans that would allow the UVF to retain a 240-strong armed 'close protection team'.
The UVF has been locked in negotiations with the government over a number of years in an attempt to hammer out conditions in which they could honour repeated pledges to stand down.
They have come under increasing pressure in recent months, with the government and security services running out of patience.
In his latest post on social media, author and historian Dr Aaron Edwards said the terror group is close to agreeing a General Order of Disbandment.
And that would include what Dr Edwards has described as a 'praetorian guard'' of 30 to 40 volunteers in each area who would be armed and act as close protection for high-ranking UVF leaders.
He referenced a leading member of the organisation as asserting such a body of men would be needed to deal with 'criminality'' in loyalist areas.
But the proposal has been described has 'fanciful'' by loyalist and security sources.
'It's incredibly detailed,' said our source, 'and very specific, not even the most optimistic and dedicated UVF man would believe that the government would allow to keep their own armed 'police force'.'
The source – who has intimate knowledge of the inner workings of the UVF – said only a handful of people from Chief-of-Staff John 'Bunter' Graham down would have any knowledge of the content of discussions with British government representatives.
As previously reported, it is known that a sizeable number of UVF members and sections of the UDA have been negotiating a pathway out of the paramilitaries, but they do not represent the entirety of the organisations.
They are believed to be close to agreeing the terms of their transition but their priority in discussions has been to maintain the flow of public money into community-based jobs – many of which are occupied by paramilitary members – and immunity from prosecution for historical crimes.
In February it was announced that the British and Irish governments were to jointly appoint 'an Independent Expert to carry out a short scoping and engagement exercise to assess whether there is merit in, and support for, a formal process of engagement to bring about paramilitary group transition to disbandment. This will include examining what could be in scope of such a formal process'.
Lord Alderdice, the former Alliance Party leader who was chair of the Independent Monitoring Commission, said talks about loyalist transition should stop.
'A halt should be called, and you can't call a halt now sooner than today,' he said.
'There comes a point when you have to say no, this hasn't been delivered.'
This week Dr Edwards, who has written a book on the UVF and who broke the news that former UVF commander Winston 'Winkie' Irvine had been court-martialled and stood down in the wake of his conviction on arms charges, said the details were an attempt to put the organsation in 'cold storage'.
'I have been told how the UVF Brigade Staff has explicitly requested the retention of 30-40 active 'volunteers' in each of their 'battalion areas' to act as a 'Praetorian Guard' — or 'Close Protection team' in security parlance — for its more prominent members,' he wrote.
There are six UVF 'brigade' areas which would mean the government would have to agree to a 240-strong armed militia to act as a vigilante army to protect the organisation's ageing leadership.
The Sunday World understands a sticking point in discussions are calls for the UVF to be de-proscribed so that the name can continue to be used legally at memorial and other events.
And also in the naming of veterans clubs, the complication being that those who will continue to use the UVF name as a cover for their involvement in drugs and other crimes.
Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph, SDLP MLA Matthew O'Toole said: 'Without wishing to comment in detail on what are only second-hand reports, it should be obvious that any process of disbandment which involves the continuation of armed structures of any kind would by definition not be disbandment.'
The UUP's Doug Beattie said: 'Any pledge from the UVF to completely disband is welcome. The reality being they should have disbanded many years ago, indeed they should never have existed in their terrorist form.
'However, any notion that 40-60 active UVF members, per brigade, should be retained to act as some kind of close protection for former senior UVF leaders is just ridiculous.
'The UVF need to disband and in doing so allow communities and its membership to leave the intimidation, drug dealing, prostitution and money laundering behind.
'Any notion that the UKG would allow an armed militia to continue with some random title or societal role in law enforcement is a farcical concept.
'I hope the UVF have the courage to issue a general disbandment order, but it cannot be conditional in any way.'
Armed UVF men on the streets of Belfast during the Troubles
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