Aiken: UUP never signed up to NDNA agreement

Former UUP leader Steve Aiken has gone on record to say that his party never signed up the New Decade New Approach (NDNA) agreement in 2020.
By Philip Bradfield
Published 11th Feb 2022, 19:11 BST
Updated 12th Feb 2022, 11:28 BST
PACEMAKER BELFAST 08/02/2019 UUP's from L-R Reg Empey, Steve Aiken and Doug Beattie speak to the media after a meeting with An Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar who was in Belfast, for a series of engagements with the Northern Ireland political parties. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker PressPACEMAKER BELFAST 08/02/2019 UUP's from L-R Reg Empey, Steve Aiken and Doug Beattie speak to the media after a meeting with An Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar who was in Belfast, for a series of engagements with the Northern Ireland political parties. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press
PACEMAKER BELFAST 08/02/2019 UUP's from L-R Reg Empey, Steve Aiken and Doug Beattie speak to the media after a meeting with An Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar who was in Belfast, for a series of engagements with the Northern Ireland political parties. Photo Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press

The agreement has come back to the fore due to rows over Irish language act details within it. Responding to “incorrect” media claims this week that the UUP had signed up to the NDNA, the MLA said it was actually produced by the UK and Republic of Ireland governments,

“On at least two separate occasions this week, broadcasters claimed that the Ulster Unionist Party had signed up to the ‘New Decade New Approach’ document in January 2020,” said Mr Aiken (pictured). “This is totally incorrect and I should know because I was party leader at the time. In fact, at the very moment whilst some political parties – the Ulster Unionists included – were inside Stormont House reading through the document for the first time, the then Secretary of State Julian Smith MP and Simon Coveney were standing at Carson’s statue addressing the media.

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“In the interests of clarity, the Ulster Unionist Party did not sign up to NDNA. It was drawn up by the two Governments and presented to the parties to read as the two Governments were announcing it.” His party then re-entered the Executive to take the seat they were entitled to as a result of a mandate, he said.

But the UUP has “consistently opposed” legacy provisions of the Stormont House Agreement, which the NDNA commits to implement on p62. That is why the UUP “did not – indeed could not - sign up to NDNA,” he added.