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Prime minister attends Belfast funeral of Sir Desmond Rea

Gareth GordonPolitical correspondent, BBC News NI
News imagePacemaker Sir Desmond Rea, a man with a shaved head and a short, white beard, walks towards the camera outside the Titanic Belfast building in 2022. He is wearing glasses, a grey/beige anorack over a navy suit jacket, blue and white shirt and a navy tie. Pacemaker
Sir Keir said his life had been "touched and changed" by his friendship with Sir Desmond

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has attended the funeral in Belfast of the first chairman of the Policing Board, Sir Desmond Rea.

The prime minister became friends with Sir Desmond when he served as a human rights adviser to the board in the 2000s.

They remained in constant contact ever since, said the prime minister.

Mourners at the service in south Belfast included Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn, deputy first ministerEmma Little Pengelly and Health Minister Mike Nesbitt.

Former SDLP leader Mark Durkan, former DUP MP Ian Paisley and PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher were also in attendance.

Sir Keir told mourners he had nothing but the greatest respect for the noted academic who held several high-profile roles in public, private and voluntary sectors during a career which spanned decades.

He said his life had been "touched and changed" by his friendship with Sir Desmond.

In his eulogy Sir Nigel Hamilton, the former head of the NI Civil Service, said Sir Desmond had the courage to go places and meet people others would not have done.

Sir Desmond was awarded a knighthood in 2004 for services to policing.