Paisley defends Boyne trip 'boost' for Ahern

Ian Paisley today hit out at claims that he will be boosting Bertie Ahern’s troubled election campaign when the pair visit the site of the Battle of the Boyne later this week.

As he prepared to be sworn in as the North's First Minister at Stormont tomorrow, the Democratic Unionist leader denied that Friday’s tour of the site of the Battle of the Boyne – the scene of a famous victory in 1690 by King William of Orange over the forces of King James – was designed to give Mr Ahern a leg up in the General Election campaign.