I was asked about rejoining but it went no further: Donaldson

The DUP leader was responding to an interview given by UUP chief Doug Beattie who claimed the sole item on the agenda of talks between the pair was Sir Jeffrey’s possible defection to his party.

But in a statement to the News Letter last night Mr Beattie insisted there was “no ambiguity” about what the meeting between the two unionist leaders was about.

Mr Beattie has threatened to publish WhatsApp text messages which he says will prove his version of events.

The Ulster Unionist leader challenged his DUP counterpart to answer a number of questions about his decision to agree to talk.

“Who did he tell he was meeting me? Did his party know? Did his chairman know? Did his Westminster colleagues or first minister know? If nobody knew then why?” Mr Beattie added.

One Ulster Unionist source said they were confident that the WhatsApp communications were “a two-way street” between both leaders and are “as plain as a pike staff in terms of what was being discussed”.

Speaking in London yesterday evening following a meeting of the British Irish Parliamentary Assembly, Sir Jeffrey denied he ever contemplated rejoining the UUP.

He said: “In the context of global events and the current economic and cost-of-living crisis, I am focused on the issues which matter to people.

“As I indicated last week, the BBC contacted me and tried to portray that I was about to leave the DUP and rejoin the UUP last year. I stand by my characterisation of that claim as nonsense.”

The DUP leader continued: “I have been quite open about the fact that I was approached. I met Doug Beattie at a venue of his choosing. At that meeting, Doug reiterated his desire that I consider membership of his party and we also discussed issues about the future of unionism.

“On the issue of rejoining, matters went no further as I determined that I was not rejoining the UUP.

“I will continue to engage with unionists from across all parties and work towards achieving greater cooperation and working on the issues which really matter to people.”

Earlier yesterday Mr Beattie broke his silence on ‘The Nolan Show’ by insisting Sir Jeffrey rejoining his party was the sole focus of their conversation last year.

The secret meeting took place at Thiepval Barracks in Lisburn and came about shortly after Sir Jeffrey narrowly lost the DUP’s first leadership election in its 50-year history to Edwin Poots.

Mr Beattie revealed to the Radio Ulster programme that he has messages from the DUP leader which he will make public if he is “called a liar”.

He said: “I did make an approach, saying that I would be happy if he would consider coming back to the Ulster Unionist Party.”

In a message to those in the DUP whom he said were insisting his version of events is distorted, Mr Beattie said: “If you want to challenge me and call me a liar, then I will produce the documentary evidence.

“I didn’t put this in the public domain, nobody close to me put it in the public domain, nobody from my party put this into the public domain, but when it was put into the public domain we said nothing.”

Mr Beattie said he had “reached out” to Sir Jeffrey based on “soundings” he was getting from others in the DUP. He said these DUP sources told him that Sir Jeffrey was unhappy and doubted his future in the party.

Sir Jeffrey resigned from the UUP in 2003 having become, alongside future first minister Arlene Foster, the most vocal critics of the then-leader David Trimble.

l Sir Jeffrey and Mr Beattie’s failure to discuss the Northern Ireland Protocol during their secret talks last year is “astounding”, TUV leader Jim Allister said yesterday.

When asked on ‘The Nolan Show’ if he had talked about the protocol with the DUP leader Mr Beattie said “no”.

Mr Allister said: “Unionists need strength and unity from their parties at this time of peril from the iniquitous protocol; yet, it seems, the protocol may not have even been discussed between Sir Jeffrey and Doug! I find that astounding.

“There is no greater threat to the Union, yet, it seems, Sir Jeffrey and Doug can explore their common ground but never address any policy stance on the protocol.”