Unionist co-operation in elections 'cannot benefit DUP alone'

The Ulster Unionist Party and Traditional Unionist Voice are up for talks about unionist co-operation in next year's elections, but have warned it cannot result in gains alone for the DUP, its leaders have said.

Jon Burrows and Jim Allister were responding after Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader Gavin Robinson issued a call at his conference on Saturday to maximise the "pro-union vote".

Robinson said split votes had cost unionist seats in a number of constituencies and appealed to his rival unionist parties to ensure that did not happen again.

The other two unionist leaders have not ruled out working together but expressed some scepticism about the DUP leader's request.

Speaking on Saturday, Robinson appealed to unionists not to "gift wrap seats to Sinn Féin, the SDLP or Alliance that we could otherwise win".

But in a separate speech at the conference, DUP Education Minister Paul Givan said the Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) and Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) would pose "very different challenges" to the DUP in the election, adding: "One is a one-man band – the other is the TUV."

In response on Monday, Burrows said he did not think it was in the best interest of unionism for one party to make "personalised jibes at unionist leaders" while calling for co-operation.

"It's not what our community needs to hear, I don't just want to manage the unionist vote I want to grow it," he added.

Burrows has never ruled out working with other unionist parties but has spoken of his ambition to return the Ulster Unionists as being the largest unionist party at Stormont.

"We need to be encouraging turnout, transfers... but it can't always be to the benefit of one party. It's almost as if no other unionist party can have the ambition to outperform the DUP, that's not healthy," he added.

TUV leader Jim Allister said Robinson had "never talked to me about this issue" before.

He said he wanted to see the maximum number of unionist representatives returned to the assembly, but said it could not be "co-operation to maintain the hegemony of the DUP or so as to get more protocol-implementing ministers".

"You cannot piously stand and progress a belief in unionist unity then denigrate those you proclaim you want unity with," he added.

"It exposes that they want TUV and UUP transfers to maintain their supremacy."

When those remarks were put to Robinson, he said he had never in his time as party leader engaged in making negative remarks about other unionist leaders.

He said he had issued an "open invitation" on Saturday and that he hoped it would be engaged with productively.

"There will always be ups and downs, rough and tumbles, distinct differences... but the important thing is to maximise the strength of the pro-union vote - not to repeat the mistakes of 2022 that cost seats and influence," added the DUP leader.

He also said he had always encouraged DUP voters to transfer to other unionist parties and that he himself had benefitted from inter-unionist co-operation in previous elections.

SDLP leader Claire Hanna criticised what she called "unionist unity 6.0" and said it was a distraction from what the executive should be focusing on.

"We see this movie every time, instead of focusing on the six months we have left... we get the same set up for divisions and binaries that they want," she told reporters at Stormont.

The DUP won 25 seats in the last assembly election, while the UUP returned with nine and the TUV one seat, in North Antrim.