Unionists consider Weir suspension appeal

Ulster Unionists are today preparing to hear an appeal for the reinstatement of an Assembly member suspended from the party for defying David Trimble.

The UUP’s 110-member executive will gather at party headquarters in Glengall Street to consider an appeal by North Down MLA Peter Weir.

Mr Weir was suspended by a panel of six party officers in February at a disciplinary hearing for refusing to follow the UUP whip in several Assembly votes.

His suspension from the party resulted in him being deselected as the Ulster Unionists’ candidate for the North Down Westminster seat.

The Assembly member’s replacement, Lady Sylvia Hermon won, the seat from anti-Good Friday Agreement UK Unionist leader Robert McCartney in last week’s General Election.

Mr Weir, who has been a strident critic of the Agreement and his party leader’s involvement in a power sharing executive with Sinn Fein, would only make a brief comment about today’s executive meeting.

He said: ‘‘This is a normal UUP executive meeting and we will have to wait and see what happens.

‘‘I would hope that common sense will prevail at today’s meeting.’’

Today’s executive will be the first gathering of pro and anti-Agreement Ulster Unionists since the party’s losses in the General and Local Government elections.

The UUP has lost four Westminster seats since the last General Election in 1997 including one of its best known faces on the anti-Agreement wing, former East

Derry MP William Ross whose seat went to the rival Democratic Unionists.

Despite winning North Down and regaining a seat from the Rev Ian Paisley’s party in South Antrim, it also lost Strangford and North Belfast to the DUP and Fermanagh and South Tyrone and West Tyrone to Sinn Fein.

The party also shed 31 council seats in the local government elections, while its rivals in the anti-Agreement DUP gained 40.

There is mounting speculation that UUP leader David Trimble will face a leadership challenge when his party’s 860-member ruling council meets for its annual meeting on Saturday next week.

South Belfast MP Rev Martin Smyth, who attracted 43% support in a bid to oust Mr Trimble last year, has been tipped as a possible challenger.

However, UUP sources today indicated momentum is building behind a possible challenge from Lagan Valley MP Jeffrey Donaldson.

One possibility being explored is a ‘‘dream ticket’’ aimed at uniting the party, with Mr Donaldson leading the UUP at Westminster and Stormont Enterprise Minister Sir Reg Empey in charge at the Northern Ireland Assembly.