Unionists abandoning UUP, claims DUP rivals

Unionist activists are voting with their feet and abandoning David Trimble’s Ulster Unionists, the rival Democratic Unionists claimed tonight.

Democratic Unionist European election candidate Jim Allister was commenting after the merger of the Queen’s University Unionist Association with the Queen’s Democratic Unionist Association in Belfast.

The Queen’s Unionist Association was previously affiliated to the Ulster Unionists but was stood down by David Trimble’s party during the internal feuding which split the party last year.

Mr Allister, the first chairman of the DUP’s Association at Queen’s University in 1971, said the amalgamation represented the realignment of unionism which was currently throwing its weight behind the party.

“The amalgamation of the Unionist Association with the DUP Association, under the aegis of the DUP, typified the province-wide realignment of unionism into the main unionist party, DUP,” the European Parliament candidate insisted.

“Unionist activists are voting with their feet and leaving behind failures of the past so typified by Trimble unionism.

The Democratic Unionist Association was expected to double in size as a result of tonight’s merger.

Mr Allister said he expected the shift towards his party to continue in next month’s European Parliament Election.

Last November Ian Paisley’s DUP overtook the Ulster Unionists to become Northern Ireland’s largest party in the Assembly.

Since then, three former Ulster Unionist Assembly members defected to the DUP, including Lagan Valley MP Jeffrey Donaldson.