DUP plans recruitment drive after UUP defections
The Rev Ian Paisley’s Democratic Unionists today confirmed that they would embark on a recruitment drive across Northern Ireland following the defection of three former Ulster Unionist Assembly Members.
Mr Paisley welcomed the decision of Lagan Valley MP Jeffrey Donaldson and two other ex-Ulster Unionists, Arlene Foster and Norah Beare, to join his Assembly team.
The North Antrim MP also claimed the defections could mark the start of an exodus from the Ulster Unionist Party into his party.
“I bid them welcome to the DUP,” Mr Paisley said at a Stormont press conference with Mr Donaldson, Mrs Foster and Miss Beare.
“I believe this is the beginning of large numbers of people who always voted Official Unionist who are now going to join with us.
“I hope to shortly announce a recruiting drive across the province so we can enlarge our party and prepare for what is coming in the days of the negotiations.”
Mr Donaldson today launched a hard-hitting attack on his former leader, David Trimble, and his supporters, claiming they had abandoned core unionist principles.
“I am proud to be part of a team capable of providing leadership to the unionist community, not like the leadership of the party I left.
“Not like a leadership which has no bottom line, a leadership which does not know how to lead the unionist community.”
Mrs Foster claimed the DUP was now the mainstream unionist party in Northern Ireland.
She complained: “There is no fight left in the UUP.”
