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The incoming leader of the Ulster Unionist Party is coming under increasing pressure on his stance over a unionist electoral pact.<\/p>\nThe incoming leader of the Ulster Unionist Party is coming under increasing pressure on his stance over a unionist electoral pact.<\/p>\n
Steve Aiken has said that his party will stand candidates in all 18 Westminster seats set to be contested on December 12.<\/p>\n
DUP MP Jeffrey Donaldson claimed the stance will mean a \u201cunionist dogfight\u201d, and warned this could risk unionists losing seats to Sinn F\u00e9in.<\/p>\n
Unionist rival the Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) said agreed unionist candidates in certain constituencies is a \u201cno-brainer\u201d.<\/p>\n
A unionist pact saw Ulster Unionist Tom Elliott win the Fermanagh South Tyrone Westminster seat in 2015. However, Sinn F\u00e9in\u2019s Michelle Gildernew won the seat back for her party in 2017.<\/p>\n
The DUP is understood to be keen to pursue the arrangement in North Belfast where deputy leader Nigel Dodds\u2019 narrow majority is expected to come under pressure from Sinn F\u00e9in\u2019s John Finucane.<\/p>\n
Mr Aiken said his party will run candidates in all 18 constituencies, \u201cbecause we cannot in all right turn round and say to the people of Northern Ireland: \u2018Vote for a pact with the DUP, support the DUP \u2013 the party who put a border down the Irish Sea.’\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Donaldson told the BBC on Wednesday: \u201cI just don\u2019t understand where Steve Aiken is coming from, that he proposes we have a unionist dogfight in the middle of the most important election in decades.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think they stand a chance of winning the seat in the constituencies where they will split the vote.\u201d<\/p>\n
Later, a TUV spokesman said: \u201cAs TUV determines its position over the coming days regarding the upcoming general election, one thing is clear to us \u2013 the folly of gifting seats to Sinn F\u00e9in. Any party that sets such a course is not serving the Union.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn a first-past-the-post election, the luxury of expressing a preference within the Unionist family will not be available to all, particularly in marginal seats.<\/p>\n
\u201cThus in seats such as Fermanagh & South Tyrone and North Belfast, agreed candidates should be a no-brainer. For TUV the Union trumps everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, a suggested pro-remain electoral pact does not appear to have been agreed.<\/p>\n
Sinn F\u00e9in proposed the move last month as it announced the selection of Mr Finucane to run against Mr Dodds in North Belfast.<\/p>\n
The party\u2019s vice president Michelle O\u2019Neill has indicated that there have been conversations on the matter between parties.<\/p>\n