David Burnside becomes the latest unionist to endorse Tim Collins as MP for North Down

Mr Burnside, who was UIster Unionist MP for South Antrim 2001 to 2005, writes a letter in today’s News Letter that “voting for Alliance in a Westminster election is naive and, from a unionist perspective, dangerous”.

In the letter (click here to read it) he says: “North Down has a strong character in Tim Collins, whom I have known for many years, standing head and shoulders above Stephen Farry and Alex Easton, and has a respected international reputation.”

The endorsement for Colonel Collins comes after Baroness (Kate) Hoey and Robert McCartney also gave his candidacy their support last week.

Ex North Down MP Mr McCartney said in this newspaper that Col Collins “has the public profile and proven talents to serve [the seat] with distinction” (click here to read Mr McCartney’s letter).

Baroness Hoey, the former Labour MP, also writing in this paper (click here to read her letter to us), said that “a vote for Collins is a vote to ensure that North Down will once again have an MP of the calibre of Lady Sylvia Hermon”.

Mr Burnside also endorsed unionist Westminster candidates including the DUP’s Gavin Robinson in East Belfast and the UUP’s Robin Swann to represent the seat he once held.

Mr Burnside lost South Antrim to the Rev William McCrea of the DUP in a by-election in 2000 after the death of the Ulster Unionist incumbent Clifford Smyth.

He then beat Mr McCrea in the general election of the following year, before Mr McCrea won the seat back in 2005, ultimately losing it to Danny Kinahan of the UUP a decade later.