The Rev Ian Paisley's Democratic Unionists today confirmed they would embark on a recruitment drive across Northern Ireland following the defection of three former Ulster Unionist Assembly Members.
Dr Paisley welcomed the decision of Lagan Valley MP Mr Jeffrey Donaldson and two other ex-Ulster Unionists, Mrs Arlene Foster and Ms Norah Beare, to join his Assembly team.
Dr Paisley 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 Ms 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 attacked his former leader, Mr 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. "There is no fight left in the UUP," she said.
The defections mean the DUP now has 33 seats at the Stormont Assembly and also becomes the largest unionist party at Westminster.
Mr Donaldson and his supporters have fought a five-year battle with Mr Trimble's wing of the party over the latter's continued support for the Belfast Agreement and their willingness to go into government with Sinn Féin.
The split between Mr Donaldson and Mr Trimble worsened last summer when the Lagan Valley MP and two other Ulster Unionist MPs, the Rev Martin Smyth and Mr David Burnside, resigned the whip at Westminster.