UUP in crisis as MPs face expulsion

THE crisis within Ulster Unionism deepened last night as moves began to expel three rebel MPs from the party.

David Trimble, finally losing patience with his hardline critics, has set up a disciplinary committee to deal with Jeffrey Donaldson, Rev Martin Smyth and David Burnside.

The UUP leader said their decision to resign the party whip at Westminster had triggered a crisis that left the leadership with no alternative but firm action.

“We can’t be expected to indefinitely put up with a situation where there is a party within a party,” he said.

At an emergency meeting at UUP headquarters, party officers decided by five votes to two to set up a disciplinary group, to be chaired by Enniskillen solicitor Raymond Ferguson.

Mr Trimble expressed hopes that the committee would make its ruling as soon as possible.

A decision to expel the MPs from the party would have to be ratified by the 110-strong UUP Executive.

The three dissidents, who resigned the whip in protest at the leadership’s policy on the peace process, remained defiant.

Their resignations followed last week’s vote by the Ulster Unionist Council, which was 54% in favour of Mr Trimble’s view of the peace process, opposing a proposal by Mr Donaldson to reject the British and Irish governments’ Joint Declaration.

Mr Donaldson, who attended yesterday’s meeting but did not vote, said expulsions would split the party down the middle.

“It is entirely the wrong way to address the concerns that we have, that almost half of the UUP has, and that 70% of the unionist electorate have,” he said.

Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams said the infighting in unionism could not be allowed to hinder progress in the peace process.

Speaking after a meeting with the Taoiseach, Mr Adams said he could not wait for the crisis to be resolved to press ahead with the implementation of the Good Friday agreement.