THE DUP East Derry MP Gregory Campbell has insisted there “is no split” in the DUP after 14 members of the party reportedly voted on Monday night against a draft deal for ending the political logjam.
Up to 14 members of the DUP’s Assembly and Westminster parliamentary team rejected the proposals on policing and parading and on other issues as well that the DUP leader Peter Robinson put to them on Monday, according to DUP sources.
Several members in what was described as a “stormy and angry” meeting expressed particular dismay on aspects of the draft deal negotiated at Hillsborough Castle on parading.
Some DUP members complained that while Sinn Féin had a May date for transferring policing and justice powers to the Northern Executive there was no such certainty in relation to how contentious parades would be addressed in future.
Mr Robinson was forced to return to the Hillsborough Castle negotiations without a deal. Since then, it is understood, there have been some changes to the draft agreement that while not tinkering with the substance of the deal, beef up the commitments on parading.
Including Peter Robinson, who was yesterday reinstated as First Minister, there were 34 DUP MLAs, eight of whom double as MPs, who were entitled to vote on the draft deal on Monday. The DUP had 36 MLAs but Foyle member William Hay is Assembly speaker and not entitled to vote while Iris Robinson has stood down as MP and MLA for Strangford.
Mr Campbell was asked yesterday to confirm or deny that 14 of the 34 MLAs voted against the deal on Monday. He repeatedly insisted that there was unity in the DUP while refusing to confirm of deny the reported vote.
“You’ll see at the end of this a good deal that the entire unionist community can buy into. When we get there you will see the unity of purpose that exists,” he said.
On Monday Mr Robinson issued a statement saying that the DUP team unanimously supported party negotiations and that it was encouraged by the progress in the negotiations.
Sinn Féin MLA for Foyle Martina Anderson said the Hillsborough Castle talks chaired by the Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin and Northern Secretary Shaun Woodward were drawing to a conclusion. “We are almost there, but not quite there yet. Leadership is required to bring this to the end,” she said at Stormont yesterday.
She indicated that the party was willing to allow some more time for the DUP to decide on whether or not to accept the deal. “It is important to give people space and time and Sinn Féin understand this. We have demonstrated how patient we have been, to get the right deal.”