NORTH ANTRIM:THE STRONG victory for the DUP's Ian Paisley jnr in North Antrim firmly dampened the threat from Traditional Unionist Voice leader Jim Allister, and sealed the Paisley dynasty.
Mr Paisley won 46.4 per cent of the vote, some 12,500 votes ahead of Mr Allister, who took 16 per cent. This was less than his father, former first minister and DUP leader Ian Paisley, received in the 2005 Westminster elections, when he won 54.8 per cent, with a 17,000 majority.
Mr Paisley was “honoured” to take over as MP from his father, who won the seat 40 years ago when he was aged 43 – the same age as his son is now.
“If I can follow in those footsteps ever so carefully and leave any sort of impregnation on the sands and soils of this constituency, I will try and do so. But no man in this constituency can ever come up to the mark of Rev Ian Paisley snr,” he said during a victory speech in Ballymena.
The new MP also paid tribute to the ordinary Ulster men and women from all backgrounds who had come out to vote for him and given him a “resounding victory”.
“If any arrogance is seen in our approach, it’s only because we have the confidence of a great God,” he said. Mr Paisley pledged to bring Ulster and his constituency forward, and to build the unity of Ulster. “No matter what your class or creed is I and my party are here to work for you.”
As Mr Paisley stepped off the podium shortly before 1am, news spread of the surprise loss of a seat by DUP leader and Northern Ireland First Minister Peter Robinson.
Mr Paisley insisted that Mr Robinson would remain on as First Minister and DUP leader, but conceded that “there’s going to be issues for the party”.
However, his father, who was at the count centre with his wife Baroness Eileen Paisley, took a back seat on the leadership issue when asked for his reaction: “I am the man that sits in the chair and drinks the tea.”