Joint Unionist project fails in South Down

Joint Unionist project fails in South Down

UNIONISTS have failed to reach agreement over a joint candidate to contest the South Down Parliamentary election.

Negotiations have been ongoing for several months but finally ended in failure last night at a special meeting held in Warrenpoint Orange Hall. 

The Ulster Unionists and DUP are now expected to confirm candidates within days. For the UUP, former MLA Harold McKee is likely to be the party’s flag bearer although the DUP has yet to announce a candidate.

The joint Unionist project in South Down had been discussed at length since plans were unveiled to reduce Northern Ireland’s MPs from 18 to 17. This will entail changes to the boundaries in South Down, removing a predominantly nationalist area around Crossgar and bringing in a largely Unionist area centred around Loughbrickland.

However, the snap election came before the changes could be implemented leaving a remote chance of a joint Unionist success.

Nevertheless, senior unionists in the constituency believed there was still a ‘slim chance’ of success in next month’s poll, although this would have depended upon a huge Unionist turn out and Sinn Fein and the SDLP ‘evening each other out.’

The decision against a joint Unionist candidate is a major boost for the campaign of the sitting MP, Margaret Ritchie, of the SDLP, who will be relying on a substantial Unionist vote if she is to hold off the challenge from Sinn Fein’s Chris Hazzard.