Letter: Ulster Unionist quartet imply that only those two unionist parties who implement the protocol should be afforded the right to stand in the Westminster poll

The recent letter from five former Ulster Unionists (David McNarry, David Campbell, Jim Wilson, Lord Kilclooney and Bob Stoker – ‘Ulster Unionists in plea to leaders: The parties should field agreed candidates in the coming election,’ May 4) masquerades as a novel appeal for unionism to unite ahead of the Westminster elections.

The authors’ bias ignores that a united approach to the general election has already been proposed and rebuffed.

Last month the TUV revealed that in talks between the three main unionist parties chaired by the Orange Order, they had proposed that a single unionist candidate stand in each Westminster seat under a united platform of demanding full and equal citizenship within the UK and a rejection of the Irish Sea border.

Furthermore, the authors of Saturday’s letter ignore one of the largest impediments to the very plan they suggest – the fact that this proposal was shot down by the current leader of the DUP, Gavin Robinson.

Additionally, they imply that only those two parties who implement the protocol be afforded the right to stand in the Westminster poll, although they have no mandate for this.

Set in that context, the contribution of this group will hardly be taken seriously.

Mark McCullagh, Belfast, BT12