Further splits in the unionist vote will see Sinn Féin top the poll in June’s European election, the Democratic Unionist leader Peter Robinson warned today.
Mr Robinson rounded on the rival Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV), whose leader Jim Allister broke away from the DUP after it entered government with Sinn Féin.
Mr Robinson claimed that the TUV could erode the 30,000 vote lead the Democratic Unionists had over republicans at the last European election and see Sinn Fein top the poll in Northern Ireland.
The TUV dismissed the claim in the past, with Jim Allister accusing the DUP of opposing Sinn Féin in the election, but working with them in government.
But Mr Robinson said: "Jim Allister won't win a seat, we all know that.
"His only purpose in standing is to provide the opportunity for Sinn Féin to become the largest party, for Gerry Adams to go around the world speaking for the people of Northern Ireland, being the voice of Northern Ireland.
"I don't believe that's what the unionist community wants to see. But I think that's going to be the consequence if they were to vote for the TUV."
It has been claimed that a section of DUP voters believed the party would never enter government with Sinn Féin and that the TUV will tap into that.
But Mr Robinson said: "There may have been some DUP voters who didn't read any of our election literature and came to that conclusion.
"But all of our literature - which Jim Allister helped to write - made it very clear that we would go in to government if the circumstances were right."
He said his party had secured Sinn Féin support for policing and said such historic shifts would be undermined if unionism splintered.
Amid rumours that some DUP heavy-hitters are reluctant to take a posting to the European Parliament, Mr Robinson dismissed speculation a senior party figure might stand for election, only to hand the post on to a colleague at a later date.
"Of course not," said Mr Robinson. "Put it this way, the Democratic Unionist Party when they put Jim Allister forward, were putting somebody who was virtually unknown, because we have a party vote."
In a side-swipe at his former colleague he added: "There was certainly no Jim Allister personality vote... It was a party vote that got him elected.
"People will vote for the party because they recognise that the party's politics and direction is good."
PA