HARDLINE Brexiteer Kate Hoey has rubbished speculation that she may run for the DUP against Lady Sylvia Hermon in North Down in the event of a snap general election.
The current MP for Vauxhall has already said that she will not be putting herself forward as a Labour candidate in any future election.
Ms Hoey, who is from Mallusk in Co Antrim is a frequent visitor to Northern Ireland.
She has a close relationship with several members of the DUP and has supported their stance on Brexit.
Elected to Westminster for the first time in 1989 she has held several ministerial positions.
She was previously a Junior Minister in the Home Office and served as Sports Minister under Tony Blair's government from 1999 - 2001.
Despite her constituency voting 78 per cent to remain in the EU, Ms Hoey is a strident Brexiteer.
There was speculation that she may been involved in talks with the DUP about the possibility of standing in North Down against independent unionist Lady Hermon who is currently the only Remain MP representing Northern Ireland at Westminster, as the seven Sinn Féin MPs do not take their seats.
Lady Hermon was re-elected in 2017 with 41 per cent of the vote in North Down, with the DUP's Alex Easton on 38 per cent.
While the DUP have been keen to take the North Down seat they are thought to have discussed not fielding a candidate to allow Ms Hoey a clear run to stand as an independent pro Brexit candidate with an agreement that she will vote along with the party in the Commons.
When asked by the Irish News yesterday if she was considering standing for the DUP, she said she did not know where the speculation was coming from.
"If I was thinking of standing anywhere it would be a Brexit candidate in GB," Ms Hoey said.
