The Presbyterian Church in Ireland (PCI) has welcomed the resignation of Barry McElduff as Member of Parliament for West Tyrone, following his tweet on the recent anniversary of the Kingsmills Massacre.

A PCI spokesperson said:

In resigning Barry McElduff has done the right thing and bowed to the inevitable. We welcome his resignation and hope that this deeply offensive episode, that hurt so many, will be a salient lesson for all in public leadership.

In response to Barry McElduff’s initial tweet, Very Rev. Dr. Norman Hamilton, convener of the Council for Public Affairs, called the incident ‘deeply wrong’ and said that it clearly demonstrated ‘ethical poverty and a lack of awareness and understanding of the pain that many people are still living with.’

You can read his full statement here.