Back me for another year - Trimble asks party

Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble was today preparing to ask his party to endorse his leadership for another year.

As members of the Ulster Unionist Council gathered at Belfast’s Ulster Hall for their annual general meeting, Mr Trimble was expected to avoid a leadership challenge despite concerns in the party at losses in the recent Westminster and local Government elections.

Despite receiving the largest share of the popular vote, the UUP lost House of Commons seats in North Belfast, Strangford and East Derry to the Rev Ian Paisley’s Democratic Unionists as well as two constituencies to Sinn Fein - West Tyrone and Fermanagh and South Tyrone.

The party also lost 31 councillors in the local Government elections, while the DUP gained 40.

However, leading anti-Good Friday Agreement MPs Jeffrey Donaldson and the Rev Martin Smyth have resisted pressure for them to challenge Mr Trimble for the leadership.

South Belfast MP Mr Smyth, who attracted 43% support in a leadership bid against Mr Trimble last year, is expected to challenge instead for the role of party president at today’s meeting.

The post has been left vacant since the death of Sir Josias Cunningham last year.

Supporters of Mr Donaldson are believed to have been mollified by the inclusion of the Lagan Valley MP in Mr Trimble’s talks team in Downing Street on Monday and Hillsborough Castle yesterday.

Mr Donaldson has been a strong critic of the party’s decision to go into the power sharing executive with Sinn Fein ahead of IRA decommissioning.

With Mr Trimble poised to resign as First Minister on July 1 if the IRA does not move to his party’s satisfaction on decommissioning, Mr Donaldson and his supporters will be keen to ensure he is allowed to carry out his threat.

Mr Trimble is also due to face a meeting of his party’s executive today.

Meanwhile in Dublin, Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams will face his party’s national executive.

The West Belfast MP is expected to brief colleagues on his talks with US politicians this week.

However with the party under intense pressure to secure IRA disarmament, Sinn Fein sources were predicting members of their Ard Chomhairle to express ‘‘considerable anger’’ at Irish government and nationalist SDLP criticism of their party’s stance on disarmament.

SDLP leader John Hume, whose talks in the early 1990s with Gerry Adams helped bring republicans in from the political cold, became the latest nationalist politician yesterday to call for an arms gesture.

Mr Hume said after talks involving the parties at Hillsborough, Co Down: ‘‘I would like to make it very clear that all the parties have pledged themselves to totally democratic and peaceful methods.

‘‘Then there is no need for weapons of any description. They should be got rid of as soon as possible.’’

However Sinn Fein minister Martin McGuinness emerged from his party’s meeting with the Northern Ireland Secretary John Reid and Irish foreign minister Brian Cowen, saying he had taken the governments to task for trying to place the burden of decommissioning entirely on his party.

‘‘We are under no circumstances going to accept that this responsibility was ours alone,’’ the Stormont education minister said.

‘‘The two Governments and other parties have a responsibility to work collectively in order to achieve this. It won’t be achieved by threats, ultimatums or deadlines from David Trimble.’’