ULSTER UNIONIST leader Sir Reg Empey is to contest the Westminster election and will quit both the Assembly and Stormont Executive if elected.
Sir Reg will fight sitting DUP MP William McCrea in South Antrim under the banner of the Ulster Conservatives and Unionists – New Force (UCUNF) and offers the new electoral pact a prospect of gaining a Westminster seat.
UCUNF had rejected the candidacy of former UUP Antrim mayor Adrian Watson who expressed disappointed at the decision, claiming he is not one of “Cameron’s cuties” because of his views on homosexuality.
His party leader is understood to have opted for the high-risk strategy of standing and moving from his normal constituency of East Belfast, which has been held by the DUP leader for more than 30 years.
The decision marks a reversal of Sir Reg’s earlier inclination not to stand in the Westminster election and to concentrate on Stormont politics.
South Antrim is solidly unionist but has switched hands between the main unionist parties at recent Westminster elections. Ulster Unionists believe he can attract moderate unionist support along with tactical votes from those keen to see the defeat of Dr McCrea and the DUP in the constituency.
Referring to his decision to stand, Sir Reg said other party leaders including the SDLP’s Margaret Ritchie, Peter Robinson of the DUP and Sinn Féin’s Gerry Adams were all candidates. “It’s extremely difficult to put your case if you’re not in the race,” he said.