The Conservatives will fight for every seat in the UK, including Northern Ireland, at the next General Election.
Former Ulster Unionist leader, Lord Trimble, made the announcement to delegates at the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham.
The Conservatives are currently engaged in discussions with the Ulster Unionists about a possible merger.
Lord Trimble told the conference he hoped the Conservatives would have the help of the UUP at the next election.
While I get on with a typical hellish Monday morning workload, Ignited has more here.
2 comments:
This is not going to be an easy process. The local conservatives will be keen on a full merger whilst I can see that even those in the UUP that are supportive will baulk at the idea of the UUP ceasing to exist after over 100 years of history. Lord Trimble is right though about fighting every seat whilst in areas like South Belfast it will help the SDLP a unionist conservative party can not just revert back to old sectarian carve ups. My biggest concern is that the party lacks serious and credible Westminster candidates for the election and will they be drawn from the CCHQ list of candidates or does the UUP get to retain control of who runs in NI? I am wondering where the UUP will get anyone who wont look like an outsider in a Cameroon party. Burnside in a Cameroon cabinet, right, talk about 80's throwback. Its the nasty party all over again with big thatcherite bells on it.
Duncan
Lord Trimble is right though about fighting every seat whilst in areas like South Belfast it will help the SDLP a unionist conservative party can not just revert back to old sectarian carve ups.
I agree 100% with you and Lord Trimble on that. I also suspect that *if* a full merger/agreement does come about that we may see a split in the type of candidates put up; on the eastern seaboard more Cameronite whereas in the Unionist heartland perhaps more of the old-school.
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