A senior Northern Ireland political leader has refused to reveal his tax return to the media - and accused his rivals of "a rush of blood to the head" for doing so.

Ukip regional boss David McNarry lambasted his political counterparts over their stampede to make personal tax details public following the 'Panama papers' scandal.

The outgoing Strangford Assemblyman said the sight of party chiefs, including First Minister Arlene Foster and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness, making their full tax details public was "unedifying".

"It is just reducing the whole thing to the level of saying, well people expect that politicians are cheats, so here I have to prove that I am not," he said.

Mr McNarry made clear he will give them to any individual constituents who contact him.

"I have nothing to hide but I have no plans to issue my tax return to the media. If any constituent is interested in the tax affairs of David McNarry and contacts me I will furnish them with the details," he told the Belfast Telegraph.

His attack came as the flood of information about party leaders continued, with Alliance leader David Ford revealing he paid tax totalling £19,099 on his Justice Minister's salary of £86,000.

Former Ulster Unionist Mr McNarry said, however: "Just because the Prime Minister David Cameron as one of the Conservative Grandees was caught we have had the unedifying sight of one political leader after another rushing to release their tax returns."

Belfast Telegraph