Donaldson: ‘Hundreds of UUP members have resigned’

Former Ulster Unionist MP Jeffrey Donaldson has claimed that hundreds of UUP members are resigning from the party because of their opposition to David Trimble.

Mr Donaldson, who defected from the UUP to the DUP earlier this month, said hundreds of UUP members in his Lagan Valley constituency had handed in their resignations in recent weeks.

He claimed there was a sense of despondency within his former party and many of its assembly members were privately hoping that Mr Trimble would resign.

The UUP has rejected Mr Donaldson’s comments and accused his new party, the DUP, of misleading voters by claiming it could renegotiate the Good Friday Agreement.

UUP chairman James Cooper said the DUP was selling an unrealisable objective by promising to destroy the 1998 peace accord.

He also accused Mr Donaldson of exaggerating the number of UUP members who have resigned in the Lagan Valley constituency.

Mr Cooper said 20 people at most had handed in their resignations, while 63 had applied to join the UUP in Lagan Valley since Mr Donaldson’s defection.