Rivals to succeed Trimble face packed meeting
Three candidates bidding to succeed David Trimble as Ulster Unionist leader were facing a packed meeting of their ruling council in Belfast this evening to pitch their vision for the party.
Former Stormont Economy Minister Sir Reg Empey, Policing Board member Alan McFarland and former David Trimble aide David McNarry were individually facing party members before being subjected to question and answer sessions.
Delegates attending the meeting in a south Belfast hotel were looking to see how each candidate would drag the party forward following heavy losses in last month’s Westminster local government elections.
But as they faced the final verdict of the Ulster Unionist council, they were missing former leader David Trimble whose wife Daphne attended.
Sir Reg Empey was tipped as favourite to win the contest.
However some delegates insisted the contest was not a foregone conclusion.
Mr McNarry said the meeting was one of the first steps in the party’s revival.
On his arrival at the hotel, he declared: “Divided parties don’t win elections.
“We have learnt that lesson. We were divided and showed no confidence.
“Now we are going to renew that confidence. We are going to restore the trust in the unionist electorate.
“All I ask is that whoever is elected tonight, they give the opportunity to that person to carry out the job that we need done for unionism.”
Former army major Alan McFarland said he was giving the leadership contest his best shot.
“We have concentrated on the grass roots and I think it has worked pretty well,” he said.
“I think we need to get ourselves together. We have clearly been a shambles on a number of fronts.
“We need to get the structures right.”
