Ulster Unionists to field nine candidates

Published Wednesday, 24 February 2010

The Ulster Unionist Party has decided on nine candidates to fight the forthcoming general election.

The party's only MP, Lady Sylvia Hermon, said she will not stand under a joint Ulster Unionist/Conservative banner and two prospective candidates applied to run for her North Down seat.

Unionists and Conservatives will meet to agree candidates ahead of the poll, which is expected by May.

A meeting was held on Wednesday night of the UUP Executive.

They decided to nominate the wife of former leader David Trimble, Daphne, for the highly-contested Lagan Valley.

It has also already been revealed that Trevor Ringland will fight East Belfast and former television presenter Mike Nesbitt will contest Strangford.

Leader Sir Reg Empey said: "They are a formidable team and we hope that they will shortly be joined by the remaining candidates.

"This is an opportunity for the first time in a generation to vote for people who will be part of a national government and for people who will not be double jobbing but totally dedicated - sitting as full time members of parliament. This is what people demand and deserve."

The rest of the candidates are: Bill Manwaring, West Belfast; Harry Hamilton, Lord Trimble's old seat of Upper Bann; deputy leader Danny Kennedy, Newry and Armagh; John McCallister, South Down; Sandra Overend, Mid Ulster; Ross Hussey, West Tyrone.

Meanwhile, the Alliance Party, which is expected to take the justice ministry when security powers are devolved from London to Belfast on April 12, met on Wednesday night to formally decide whether to nominate.

There has been progress on a Cohesion, Sharing and Integration strategy which was one of the centralist party's key demands.

Comments

1 Comments

CHARLES in lisbellaw wrote (820 days ago):

the uup,con,newforce/farce have hardly re-invented themselves since davy trimble abandoned the principles of unionism in exchange for 30 pieces of nobel silver and the tax payer funded life of extravagance in the bright lights of london. The unionist electorate will never trust the uup,con,newfarce or whatever they are calling themselves these days, ever again. Their sole MP doesn't trust them and she is rather wise in my opinion. As for the candidates selected, what an insult! , I mean, mike nesbitt!!, a man who wanted to equate terrorist murderers with innoccent victims and pay terrorist murderers £12000 each!!, What planet is uupconnewfarce living on?.