NI parties set out stalls ahead of December election

Parliament backed a December 12 election after months of deadlock over Brexit.

DUP leader Arlene Foster MLA said, “This evening our Members of Parliament voted in support of a General Election on Thursday 12th December.

“It is right that the people of Northern Ireland have their say through the ballot box.

“The DUP will use this opportunity to campaign strongly to send a message that Northern Ireland is better in the Union of the United Kingdom and we cannot be separated economically from Great Britain.”

She continued: “We have a record of speaking up for Northern Ireland in Westminster and delivering for everyone in Northern Ireland.

“At a time of great uncertainty as to who will form the next government how Northern Ireland votes will matter as never before.

“Unionists need their strongest team returned to so that Northern Ireland’s interests are protected in the next Parliament. That team is the DUP.”

Mrs Foster added: “This election will matter and we will be campaigning for every vote as we take our message to the people.”

The UUP, meanwhile, set out their stall in opposition to Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal.

Incoming party leader Steve Aiken said: “This is the most important election the people of the United Kingdom have ever faced. Boris Johnson`s deal with the EU is an existential threat to the Union. It puts a border in the Irish Sea and places Northern Ireland on the window ledge of the Union.”

He continued: “This election will be an opportunity to send Ulster Unionist MPs to Westminster who will not be patsies to a Tory government or ever agree to a border down the Irish Sea. Northern Ireland has been betrayed by Boris Johnson`s Conservative Government and we need to send a clear message to him and his advisers that we will not sit back and let him destroy the Union.”

Mr Aiken added: “Anyone who casts a vote for Sinn Fein is wasting an opportunity to have their voice heard in Westminster. More than ever Northern Ireland needs MPs who will attend the House of Commons and exercise the democratic mandate. Northern Ireland needs MPs who are focused on improving the lives of their constituents and strengthening the Union rather than filling their boots, taking holidays in foreign countries and then lobbying on their behalf. That`s why I`ll be urging people to vote Ulster Unionist.”

Alliance leader Naomi Long sought to position her party as a voice for Remain.

“This election will be mainly focused around Brexit and Alliance has always been clear there is no such thing as a good or sensible Brexit,” she said.

“Therefore it will be an opportunity for people to have their say and elect MPs who want to avoid a hard border, protect the Good Friday Agreement and attend Westminster to represent their interests. We are uniquely placed to do that, as the Alliance surge seen in May’s local government and European Elections showed the party could reach across all sections of our community and gain support from everywhere.

Mrs Long added: “We have been preparing for an election for some time, as it is clear this Parliament is hopelessly divided and the Government has no legitimacy. Northern Ireland voted to Remain. If people vote for Alliance candidates, we can increase the representation of progressive, pro-Remain MPs and articulate that voice loudly at Westminster.”

The SDLP said the election was a defining moment.

Their party leader, Colum Eastwood, said: “For three years, the democratic decision taken by people in Northern Ireland to reject a border on this island, to maintain the free and frictionless relationship we enjoy with Europe and to sustain our fragile peace has been wilfully ignored by successive Conservative governments and by the DUP. The coming election is an opportunity to reject the politics of division and deadlock and defend our interests.”

Mr Eastwood added: “This island’s destiny is being decided at Westminster. Like it or not, the only way to prevent the kind of outcome that would devastate our communities is to show up and vote it down. Our MPs have, with the exception of Sylvia Hermon, either facilitated this disaster or stood outside on the lawn shouting in. They have failed to defend our interests. It’s time to give the electorate a chance to cast their verdict on that failure.”

Sinn Fein said the election could be used to show support for a referendum on Irish unity.

Their party leader in Northern Ireland, Michelle O’Neill, said: “This election is about our future.

“It is a welcome opportunity for the people of the north to have their say on the looming disaster of Brexit.

“It is a chance to reject the DUP and the Tories, to reject Brexit and the Westminster chaos and its destructive influence on the north of Ireland.”

She continued: “There is no good Brexit for Ireland.

“Westminster is in chaos. It has no answers and no solutions.

“The Brexit debacle has shown that Westminster cannot, has not and will never act in the interests of the people of the north.”

Mrs O’Neill added: “Your interests in this election are best served by voting Sinn Féin for a different future by sending a clear message to the British government that we want control of our own future through a referendum on Irish unity.”