Leadership setback for Trimble

Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble today suffered a setback when almost half of his Northern Ireland Assembly group backed a letter querying whether he should remain at the helm of the party.

The Upper Bann MP narrowly survived a vote on the letter criticising his leadership, with 11 MLAs voting against him.

Mr Trimble said afterwards: “I am not going to go into the detail of the meeting and I am sorry that some of my colleagues have.

“But let me say I am quite happy with the outcome of the meeting and I’m quite confident that when the vote comes on my leadership on March 27, I am confident in that outcome.”

Under party rules, Mr Trimble is required to seek the endorsement of the UUP’s ruling council every year for his leadership.

Doubts have been expressed about whether he will remain in charge following last November’s Assembly Election which saw the rival Democratic Unionists overtake the UUP as Northern Ireland’s largest party.

Mr Trimble has also witnessed a series of defections in recent months to Ian Paisley’s DUP, with three member of his Assembly team quitting to join his rivals.

Lagan Valley MP Jeffery Donaldson and Assembly members Arlene Foster and Norah Beare quit in January to join the DUP.

Party sources said today’s vote was a setback to Mr Trimble’s leadership, creating the space for a leadership challenger to emerge for the party’s annual general meeting on March 27.