Northern Ireland

Co Down GPs voice disapproval over DUP election broadcast

The DUP election broadcast showed footage of a health centre in Banbridge where Nigel Dodds lives
The DUP election broadcast showed footage of a health centre in Banbridge where Nigel Dodds lives The DUP election broadcast showed footage of a health centre in Banbridge where Nigel Dodds lives
By John Manley

THE DUP has been rebuked by a group Co Down GPs whose health centre made a cameo appearance in the party's election broadcast.

The doctors in Banbridge, home to DUP deputy leader Nigel Dodds and his MEP wife Diane, distanced themselves from the party, adding that the footage was shot and used without their authorisation.

It is the second time the three-minute film, which aired last week, has grabbed the headlines for the wrong reasons.

The eurosceptic party's failure to mention Brexit in the broadcast was likened to it shunning an "embarrassing relative".

In the latest controversy, a representative of Banbridge Group Surgery felt it necessary to post a statement on Facebook disassociating the Old Hospital Road facility from the DUP.

The Banbridge Group Surgery which appeared in the DUP's party election broadcast
The Banbridge Group Surgery which appeared in the DUP's party election broadcast The Banbridge Group Surgery which appeared in the DUP's party election broadcast

The post came after footage of the surgery appeared briefly in the party election broadcast as South Belfast candidate Emma Little-Pengelly spoke about the money that flowed from her party's confidence and supply deal with the Tories.

But the privately-owned surgery's "GP partners" were aggrieved by the association and said the image was used "without our knowledge or consent".

"We would like to clarify that Banbridge Group Surgery does not have any corporate political affiliation with any party," the statement said.

"We will be taking this serious matter further."

The surgery staff were making no further comment yesterday.

A DUP statement said the party regretted "any distraction caused".

"It was a two second clip filmed from the roadside but we note the concerns of the practice," the statement said.

In 2017, ahead of the assembly election, the DUP fell foul of the Stormont authorities by flouting the rules about featuring Parliament Buildings in party broadcasts.

Just weeks after the assembly issued guidelines for campaign videos, which explicitly forbade images of Parliament Buildings, the DUP broadcast featured several shots of Stormont.

During the 2015 Westminster election campaign, Ukip launched its regional manifesto inside Parliament Buildings, contrary to the assembly guidelines.