Murphy fine after conference scare
The Northern Ireland Secretary, Paul Murphy, is said to be fine after being taken to hospital during the Labour Party conference yesterday.
Mr Murphy had been due to address delegates that afternoon on Northern Ireland, but was stretchered away from the Brighton conference hall by paramedics after feeling “queasy” during Tony Blair’s keynote address to delegates.
The Minister’s spokesman said later Mr Murphy had been “taken out as a routine procedure but everything is fine now”.
“At no time was he unconscious and there’s no question of it being a heart attack.
“At the minute, he’s undergoing routine tests at the Royal Sussex Hospital in Brighton.”
The spokesman added it was unlikely Mr Murphy would be kept in hospital overnight.
The 55-year-old Torfaen MP is now expected to address the conference later in the week.
He is expected to say the removal of paramilitarism from the province is a real option for politicians on both sides of the sectarian divide.
He will say the prize of lasting peace in Ireland “is now within our grasp.”
