The McCartney sisters have declined to share a platform with former British prime minister Lady Thatcher at an awards ceremony in London.
The sisters has been cited by the Women of the Year awards for the work to bring justice to the killers of their brother Robert, who was stabbed and beaten outside a Belfast pub last January.
However, Claire and Catherine McCartney said yesterday they would not share the platform with Lady Thatcher because of the "inflicted injuries" done to Ireland by the 80-year-old former premier.
In a statement the sisters said:
"Our campaign is one of justice and as an Irish republican family, we feel that we cannot share the same platform as a former prime minister who inflicted injuries on our country."
There was no comment from Lady Thatcher's office.