Trimble celebrates another victory over dissidents

ULSTER UNIONIST leader David Trimble celebrated another resounding victory over his party’s three rebel member on Saturday night, but the dissidents are intent on continued defiance.

The rebel members of parliament party president, Martin Smyth, Jeffrey Donaldson, and David Burnside called a meeting of the party's ruling 900-strong Ulster Unionist Council to try to halt Mr Trimble's moves to discipline them for resigning the parliamentary whip in June in protest at party policy.

But behind the closed doors of the Ulster Hall in central Belfast, their motion never even went to the vote.