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Unionists look likely to co-operate for June 8 election

Tom Elliott said he would not hold his seat without the help of the DUP
Tom Elliott said he would not hold his seat without the help of the DUP Tom Elliott said he would not hold his seat without the help of the DUP

Discussions about unionist co-operation in the forthcoming general election are expected to begin in the coming days after former Ulster Unionist leader Tom Elliott conceded it will be "very difficult" to hold his Fermanagh-South Tyrone seat without a pact with the DUP.

Lagan Valley MP Sir Jeffrey Donaldson voiced similar sentiments last night and urged fledgling UUP leader Robin Swann to open negotiations with the DUP in order to "maximise unionist representation at Westminster".

In the 2015 general election, the DUP and UUP forged a pact in four constituencies – Fermanagh-South Tyrone, East Belfast, Newry and Armagh, and North Belfast. With the exception of Danny Kennedy in Newry and Armagh, the co-operation strategy was successful.

In Fermanagh-South Tyrone, Mr Elliott stood as a unionist unity candidate and wrestled the seat from Sinn Féin's Michelle Gildernew with a slim majority of 530. The former Stormont agriculture minister had won the seat at the previous three Westminster elections.

In East Belfast, unionist co-operation saw the DUP's Gavin Robinson take the seat from Naomi Long, who in 2010's shock result outpolled the then DUP leader Peter Robinson. In North Belfast, DUP deputy leader Nigel Dodds won the seat with a majority of Majority of 5,326.

Mr Elliott told The Irish News that the timing of the snap election announcement meant unionist unity had yet to be discussed.

However, he admitted that without a pact he would not have secured the Fermanagh-South Tyrone seat.

Asked whether the two parties should co-operate on June 8, the former UUP leader said he hoped "common sense will prevail".

But Sir Jeffrey was much more forthright, saying the two parties should seek to "maximise the unionist vote and unionist representation at Westminster".

"It doesn't necessarily mean there's a formal pact but I think there should be co-operation in specific seats," he said.

The Lagan Valley MP said Fermanagh-South Tyrone and South Belfast were "the most obvious ones".

"If you look at the recent assembly election result, the DUP is the largest party in South Belfast in terms of numbers, so I think a single unionist candidate has a much better chance of winning that seat," he said.

"It's not just a question of the union, it's also important to maximise representation at Westminster to ensure Northern Ireland gets the best deal."

Sir Jeffrey urged Robin Swann to begin discussions on co-operation, saying there was a "mutual benefit".

Last night, the UUP leader said he would not rule out the possibility of unionist unity on June 8.

"There has been no personal approach made to me at this time but I haven’t ruled anything out at this time," he said. "Certainly I will talk to them."