Ulster Unionists reject Tory merger proposal
UUP leader Tom Elliott
THE faltering link between the Ulster Unionists and the Conservatives appears to have finally ended with a letter from Tom Elliott to the Tory chairman.
Mr Elliott’s formal response – rejecting Lord Feldman’s proposal for the UUP to reorganise as the Northern Ireland Conservative Party – was fully expected and has been endorsed by the party officers.
The Conservative/Ulster Unionist project was announced in a UK national newspaper article jointly penned by Sir Reg Empey and David Cameron in July 2008.
However, Mr Elliott’s first manifesto as party leader reflected scepticism about the Tory link and the arrangement
has looked increasingly fragile since then.
In his response, the Ulster Unionist leader described the idea of his party’s disbandment as a “betrayal” of UUP voters.
Mr Elliott went on to highlight the UUP’s determination to “maintain, promote and strengthen” the Union and other
objectives he described as the “Ulster Unionist DnA”.
“To the furtherance of these objectives the party officers and I were prepared to ask our party executive to formalise our relationship with the Conservative Party, on terms which we believed would have been mutually beneficial, but there is no way I am prepared to recommend your proposals to dismantle 106 years of achievement – to dissolve our great party to become the Northern Ireland Conservative Party who have consistently failed in the last 40 years to gain any electoral credibility,” he said.
Mr Elliott added: “This would have been a betrayal of the 100,000 voters who placed their trust in the UUP in May and quite simply would only have led to yet a further split in unionism, something I know the pro-Union electorate don’t want.
“I understand your rationale for wishing to wind up the Northern Ireland Conservatives as they have proved to be an
electoral non-entity.”
The fact that Lord Feldman’s letter arrived out of the blue last month – rather than following a period of joint discussions on the matter – led many to suggest it was a tactical move to disentangle the Tories from the Ulster Unionists rather than a genuine invitation.
Concluding his written response, Mr Elliott said his party remains committed to promoting a brand of non-sectarian, centre right, pan-United Kingdom unionism.
“Many of the aims and objectives outlined in your letter were noble and are shared by me and my colleagues, however, we
believe your proposals to dissolve our great party to be misguided, unworkable and completely undeliverable,” he said.
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Weather for Belfast
Tuesday 29 May 2012
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