UUP rejects DUP-TUV election deal to ‘maximise unionist votes’ in Assembly election

Last week DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson and TUV leader Jim Allister revealed that they had agreed to ‘cooperate’ in the election and called for UUP leader Doug Beattie to join them.

Mr Donaldson made the point during an anti-NI Protocol rally on Thursday in Dromore Orange Hall, Co Down.

He said that “we are agreed that we will jointly call for all the people who vote for our parties to transfer their votes to pro-Union anti-protocol parties”.

He added: “We have an opportunity in this election to maximise the number of unionists who are returned to the Assembly.”

Former UUP chairman asks when party ‘moved away’ from DUP-TUV position on transfer votes?

But, he said that what he wants to avoid is what happened in the last Assembly election. “I stood at the last Assembly election in this constituency and I watched, for the final seat in Lagan Valley, unionist transfers going to the SDLP and defeating a unionist candidate.”

Mr Allister he would not define the agreement with the DUP as a pact. “I have said and he [Jeffrey] has said unionists should transfer to other anti-protocol unionists,” he said. “I’d like to see Doug Beattie say the same. TUV has always been clear that unionists need to vote down the ballot for all pro-Union candidates in the order of their preference. With the protocol a live issue this is all the more important.

“TUV will be making it clear during the campaign and in our election literature that after voting TUV electors should continue to vote for pro-Union, anti-protocol candidates.”

The UUP declined to comment on on Friday but told the News Letter today it would not be adopting the DUP-TUV policy.

A UUP spokesperson said: “We are offering fresh leadership to Northern Ireland so we are asking people to vote for their Ulster Unionist Party Candidates. The Ulster Unionist Party believes the Northern Ireland electorate are more than capable of deciding for themselves who they should give their transfers to.

“They need to be trusted more and dictated to less. It is up to each party to set out their vision for Northern Ireland to attract first preference votes and transfers.”

The issue of maximising unionist votes has come to the fore even more than usual as unionists discuss how to respond to claims from some polls that Sinn Fein could emerge as the largest single party in this election.

This has caused intense debate about whether Sinn Fein could take the First Minister position for the first time.

Loyalist activist Jamie Bryson responded: “The party of Carson and Craig flatly refuse to encourage transfers to other unionists. This comes only a few short years after the ‘vote Mike get Column’ debacle whereby the UUP urged voters to transfer to the SDLP.

“It is clear the soul of the once proud UUP has been taken captive by a small cabal of liberals who believe that Twitter is the real world and that the praise being heaped on them by nationalists will translate into votes. It’s madness.”

MORE NEWS:

Former UUP chairman asks when party ‘moved away’ from DUP-TUV position on transfer votes?

‘Chilling warning that stopped me selling explosives to the IRA’ - ex-gangster John Lawson tells how he escaped a life of brutality and crime

DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson and TUV leader Jim Allister strike a deal to ‘cooperate’ at Assembly election; call for UUP leader Doug Beattie to join them

Storms Dudley and Eunice: Met Office amber weather warning of ‘very strong winds’ across Northern Ireland over three days

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to newsletter.co.uk and enjoy unlimited access to the best Northern Ireland and UK news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.newsletter.co.uk/subscriptions now to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.

Ben Lowry

Editor