Nationalists salivating over unionist difficulties, says Paul Givan
Nationalist parties and the Alliance Party are “salivating” at “difficulties” within political unionism in the midst of a row in the UUP, DUP minister Paul Givan has said.
The education minister stressed the importance that “unionists collectively work together” in the powersharing Executive, ahead of the appointment of a new health minister.
UUP health minister Mike Nesbitt resigned from his post on Tuesday after a row with party leader Jon Burrows over the proposed withdrawal of emergency general surgery from Causeway Hospital in Coleraine, Co Londonderry.
In a hard-hitting resignation letter, Mr Nesbitt thanked Mr Burrows for agreeing to be co-opted as a North Antrim MLA.
He said: “Previously, I held the record for the shortest time between becoming an MLA and assuming the leadership, but you proved I was only playing at it. Congratulations.”
Speaking to reporters at Dromore High School, Mr Givan said Mr Nesbitt’s resignation had “undoubtedly” been “destabilising” for the health service in Northern Ireland.
He added: “(DUP leader) Gavin Robinson has called for that appointment to be made as soon as possible. Jon Burrows has indicated he is going to fill that position.
“If he wasn’t, the DUP, we absolutely would step up and take on that responsibility – but who the Ulster Unionist Party decided to put into that role is ultimately a matter for the Ulster Unionist Party.
“I had a good working relationship with Mike Nesbitt around the executive table. I will support the new health minister because it’s vital that we can drive down those waiting lists and improve the health service for the benefit of the people.
“As the DUP, we have supported that in the programme for government, and we’ll work with whoever that minister is and of course, it’ll be a unionist minister, and it’s important that unionists collectively work together in this executive.
“It’s important that we have someone that we’ll be able to work closely with, and I’m confident that we will have that.”
Asked if problems in the UUP represented a problem for political unionism heading into an assembly election year, Mr Givan said: “Nationalists and Alliance are salivating seeing difficulties within some of the unionist parties.
“I’m absolutely steadfast and confident that the unionist people recognise that the next election will be vitally important to make sure we maximise the number of seats that we have around that table.
“We lost out on four unionist MLAs by only a handful of votes in a number of constituencies, and ultimately the unionist population will rally around and recognise that it will be important that we get a strong turnout and we get behind the DUP, which will be the leading unionist party, that we will put forward with strong leadership.
“We’re a united party. We take responsibility for delivering in government, and ultimately, I’m confident that the people respond.
“I’ve heard many times people say, ‘Oh, unionists are on the back foot, they’re going to have difficulties and challenges’ and often we can respond to that and I’m confident that we’ll do that.
“I can speak on the part of my party with Gavin Robinson leading us into that election, we will have a strong platform to do that, and I believe that people will respond to that.”