Edwin Poots says Unionists winning back Lagan Valley won't happen 'easily or simply'

The South Belfast MLA, who represented Lagan Valley for many years, also says there is an issue of trust with unionist voters which needs to be fixed.

Alliance’s Sorcha Eastwood became the first non-unionist to take the seat at the general election, and attracted a significant number of votes in areas which were once staunchly unionist. Her party’s leader and deputy leader failed to win a seat, and Alliance has never before managed to retain a Westminster seat.

Asked about claims that unionists could win the seat back at the next election, and whether Ms Eastwood is a different proposition than previous Alliance MPs, Edwin Poots told the News Letter it “wouldn’t happen easily or simply”.

He said “It would involve a lot of hard work to actually convince and encourage people once again.

“In my opinion, there’s an issue of trust out there. That trust needs to be fixed before we can seriously go out there to actually maximise seats for unionism”.

Mr Poots, the current Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly, said that apathy among unionist voters was a different issue to that of trust. He said apathy was not just an issue within unionist areas.

“When you look at turnouts in quite a few areas, apathy reigns. People, I think, in Northern Ireland for too many years have been voting against something.

“I’ve always preferred politics to give people positive reasons to vote for you. So therefore, delivering things which are of benefit to the wider community… is important for politicians”.

He said this is a better way of encouraging the public to support the unionist message than “using project fear”.

In his speech conceding defeat to Sorcha Eastwood, the DUP’s Jonathan Buckley said that boundary changes had meant “nationalism by its whole has got in behind Sorcha Eastwood… and divided unionism, as I warned in this election time and time again, has ultimately cost this seat”.