Election 2023: DUP ups its rhetoric around unionist unity as clock ticks down to polling day

As the clocks tick down to the polls opening this Thursday, DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson MP issued a statement saying he “supports greater unionist co-operation and unity”.

However there was no mention of mergers or a single political party.

Instead he said “we pledge that all our candidates elected to local councils will co-operate alongside fellow unionists to strengthen our heritage and culture”.

He said: “Our goal has been and remains to strengthen the Pro-Union voice in Northern Ireland. Growing the support for our cause must be the on-going objective.

"Drawing together all the strands of people who are pro-Union is not easy but the consequence of allowing unionism to continue fracturing will be a Northern Ireland led by Sinn Fein whose goal is to remove us from the UK.

“We are democrats and whilst we respect the outcome of elections, we do not believe a majority of those living in Northern Ireland want to spend the next decade talking about a border poll.

“At this election we want to see pro-Union voters working together to ensure more unionist councillors are elected.”

In the wake of last May’s election, which saw Sinn Fein surge ahead to claim the mantle of biggest party in Stormont – effectively anointing Michelle O’Neill as First Minister in any restored devolved government – the DUP spoke often of unity among unionists.

As the 2022 results began filtering through, Sir Jeffrey had told the News Letter: “A divided unionism does not deliver additional seats...

“I’m not talking about formal mergers. But unionism is a broad church and we recognise that.”

He wished to meet the other unionist parties to “[look] at ways in which we can co-operate more fully in the future”.

Veteran MP Jim Shannon later went further, and declared his backing for a single party.

Meanwhile today, the UUP issued a statement of its own, lamenting a cut to nurse training positions and blaming it on the DUP Stormont boycott.

"If there were an Executive in place, if Northern Ireland had a minister of Health, if there was a Health Committee meeting at Stormont I am certain – absolutely certain – that this decision would not have been taken,” said MLA Alan Chambers.

TUV MLA Jim Allister made a plea to voters too, saying: “If ever there was a time to stand firm, this is it. Any sign of weakness and the Union-dismantling Protocol will stay.”

More from this reporter:

ELECTION 2022: WATCH Sir Jeffrey Donaldson interview – leader speaks of DUP success saying ‘this is not a drastic result for us by any measure’

ELECTION 2022: WATCH – Despite our differences unionists must unite against ‘destroyers of Northern Ireland’ says Sammy Wilson