A DUP MP has said that the party stands behind its leader “regardless of the result” of the General Election.

Sammy Wilson said that Gavin Robinson cannot be blamed if the result goes poorly, because he merely “inherited” the party’s leadership under unexpected and sudden circumstances.

He also hit out at unionist “vote splitters” – a barely-veiled reference to the TUV – warning they may well have cost unionists some clout at Westminster, and “they seem to put their own selfish interests first and the interests of the Union second”.

In this video, Mr Wilson told the News Letter “he will have our support regardless of the outcome tonight because we believe he’s been an anchor at a very difficult time… he’s inherited the situation, he hasn’t caused the situation".