Jim Wells: South Down DUP candidate list not a done deal yet

The competition to be the DUP candidate for South Down remains wide open despite an initial setback for Edwin Poots, Jim Wells has claimed.
DUP MLA for South Down Jim Wells pictured outside Parliament Buildings at Stormont on Tuesday. 

Picture: Jonathan Porter/PressEyeDUP MLA for South Down Jim Wells pictured outside Parliament Buildings at Stormont on Tuesday. 

Picture: Jonathan Porter/PressEye
DUP MLA for South Down Jim Wells pictured outside Parliament Buildings at Stormont on Tuesday. Picture: Jonathan Porter/PressEye

Sitting MLA Mr Wells, who has been deselected by the party and will not contest the Assembly election in May, believes the DUP’s ruling executive will ultimately nominate Mr Poots ahead of rival Diane Forsythe.

Ms Forsythe was announced on Friday evening as the candidate going forward to be ratified by they party’s central executive committee.

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Following a series of interviews at DUP headquarters in Belfast, the party said that Ms Forsythe – who stood as the DUP candidate for South Down in the 2017 general election – would contest the Assembly election, with “all selected candidates subject to ratification by the party executive.”

DUP MLA Edwin PootsDUP MLA Edwin Poots
DUP MLA Edwin Poots

Speaking to the News Letter yesterday, Mr Wells said there is a 70% chance that the executive committee, which is due to meet in just over a week’s time, will overturn Friday’s decision in favour of the vastly experienced Mr Poots.

“The constituency association officers met on Saturday night and unanimously agreed to endorse Edwin Poots, and five votes will be cast in favour of Edwin Poots at the central executive committee,” Mr Wells said.

“I would be 70% certain that, as things stand, Edwin Poots will win that vote at the central executive committee.

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“Edwin Poots has to be part of the team that stands in May. Unfortunately I won’t be part of that, and obviously I am extremely hurt and annoyed about that, but, equally it may provide an opportunity for one of our strongest performers to get into Stormont in an area where I think he is a very neat fit.”

Diane Forsythe of the DUP. 

Picture: Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye.Diane Forsythe of the DUP. 

Picture: Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye.
Diane Forsythe of the DUP. Picture: Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye.

Ms Forsythe is a 38-year-old accountant whose has not previously contested an Assembly election.

Her father is DUP councillor Glyn Hanna, who quit the DUP for a short time only to rejoin after Sir Jeffrey Donaldson replaced Edwin Poots as leader.

Lagan Valley MLA and current minister for agriculture Edwin Poots put his name forward as the South Down constituency candidate after Sir Jeffrey Donaldson announced he would return from Westminster to stand in Lagan Valley.

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If, as expected, Sir Jeffrey were to take the lion’s share of the DUP vote along with current first minister Paul Givan, the prospect of Mr Poots regaining a third DUP seat, which was lost at the last election, looks remote.

However, Mr Wells said this would not be the case in South Down.

“Edwin Poots would be extremely well-known throughout the party at every level. He has the personal contacts and, as minister of agriculture, he has been around lots of rural areas where he has met groups of farmers, and has built up a very good reputation in rural area, and that’s where a lot of the [party executive] delegates are coming from,” he said.

“There are 130 people on the central executive body and the last time Edwin’s name was put before it was for his leadership [of the party] and he won it by 73 votes to 29.

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“At that time three of the South Down votes were against him, and of course those three are now in favour of him, so that actually helps him further.”

Mr Wells says he has spoken to a number of constituency association officers who “can’t understand how you could go into an election with someone of his vast experience sitting on the sidelines,” and added: “I have no doubt whatsoever that Edwin Poots would easily secure the seat.”

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