Nesbitt won't chase unionist unity 'unicorn' as he focuses on stabilising party
It’s expected to be a case of ‘as you were’ for the Ulster Unionist Party’s Stormont team as Mike Nesbitt aims to settle the party after the sudden departure of former leader Doug Beattie – as he describes the idea of unionist unity as “a bit of a unicorn”.
The new UUP boss is understood to be keeping his Assembly team in their current positions – after already confirming that he will continue in the health minister role himself.
His leadership will be formally endorsed by the party on 14th September, so any changes to the internal party officer team seem unlikely to be announced far in advance of that, to avoid any potential for further public recriminations over last month’s leadership wrangling.
The relationship between the party’s officials and the former leader Doug Beattie had reached a point he described as “irreconcilable” – something that was disputed by the chair Jill Macauley in a letter to constituency associations. If those officials – a majority of whom had turned against Mr Beattie – remain in place, it would surely signify that he won’t be a part of the new “leadership team” announced by Mike Nesbitt last week.
The former leader has made clear that he will serve under a leader who promoted a “moderate, inclusive, and positive” vision for the party.
Mike Nesbitt is setting out his vision for the party in meetings with key figures amid general contentment among elected representatives with his leadership – and relief that clashes over the previous leadership didn’t materialise into anything deeper.
Speaking to BBC’s Good Morning Ulster programme, the Strangford MLA addressed the perennial question of unionist unity by saying that unionists are already united in their support for the UK – but appeared to leave open the possibility of some form of unionist “co-operation”.
“Where we diverge is over the vision, the strategy and the tactics for achieving that. So there, there may, of course, be room for further cooperation, and I would certainly be up for a chat with Gavin Robinson, but Unionist unity, I think, is a bit of a bit of a unicorn, frankly” he told presenter Sarah Brett.
The new leader said the party must focus on policy, particularly on the economy and prosperity. “What I want is the maximum number of people waking up to enjoy their quality of life and their standard of living, being that being in work or whatever, having their children well educated and accessing first class public services, not least in health.
“And that is a responsibility, I believe, on every elected representative. But if you're a unionist, think of this as well. If people are waking up and enjoying the quality of life and standard of living that they have, who's going to vote for the uncertainty of constitutional change? They're going to say, give me more of the same”, he said.
He also said he will be planning for a successor. The UUP boss said that at the conclusion of discussions with other possible leadership contenders – “the others thought that I was best placed to take up the reins again, and I will be looking at succession planning. And there are obvious people who could become the next leader of the Ulster Unionist Party”.
Asked by Sarah Brett whether that meant he wouldn’t be in the job for long, he said “No, I didn't say not for long. I said, in due course” – adding that there was “plenty of talent” in terms of leadership.
In the run up to the general election, the issue of whether a Stormont minister could run for election became a matter of debate after Doug Beattie announced in a radio interview that he had a decision to make about whether Robin Swann would continue in the health ministry while running for Westminster in South Antrim.
Those comments have led to Mr Nesbitt being questioned by the BBC about whether he would be able to lead the party while sitting in the Executive, despite Naomi Long and Michelle O’Neill being in the same position. When asked about this, he rubbished the notion that he couldn’t do do both jobs.
“I would reassure people that I'm entirely energized by and invested in the health portfolio. And I would suggest to you there was one big difference between the two roles. If you're a health minister, everything you do and all the decisions you make, you have to make, you cannot say to somebody else, ‘I'm going to delegate that to you’.
“But when it comes to being leader of the Ulster Unionist Party, there are a there are a lot of things, many, many, many issues, many, many decisions that can and will be delegated”, he said.