Did Northern Ireland’s outdated libel laws help Jeffrey Donaldson hide his crimes? The possibility has been alluded to by some in the media over the past week.

When Westminster reformed the law in England and Wales in 2013, the DUP blocked its extension to Northern Ireland. However, there is no suggestion it did so to cover up for Donaldson, or for anything in particular. The party had been lobbied by the legal profession, as it had few qualms admitting. Putting manners on the press and getting an occasional payout from the courts were added attractions. Sinn Féin has been in charge of the relevant department since 2016 and has taken the same position. Some watered-down reforms were enacted four years ago.

Donaldson did make use of the difference between libel laws in Britain and Northern Ireland. In 2021, the London-based Open Democracy website revealed he had threatened to sue it in Belfast over a story about his consultancy business. The website said this had been done because “it’s much easier to sue journalists in Northern Ireland”.

But Open Democracy conducts sober investigations. The stories tumbling out since Donaldson’s conviction – about affairs, prostitutes and gay saunas – are tittle-tattle that journalists did not report due to privacy laws, professional ethics and resource constraints. Snooping on a politician’s personal life is expensive, especially if he is based 400........

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