THE ULSTER Unionists’ only MP stayed away from her party’s annual conference at the weekend because of her opposition to the formal association with the British Conservative Party.
Lady Sylvia Hermon said she could “not pretend to endorse” the Ulster Conservatives and Unionists – New Force (UCUNF).
The two parties have said they will stand agreed candidates in every Westminster constituency at next year’s parliamentary election.
Senior Conservatives and UUP leader Sir Reg Empey have stressed they would like Lady Hermon to defend her North Down seat under the UCUNF banner.
However, her failure to attend the party’s conference in Belfast is heightening speculation she will stand as an Independent in the forthcoming general election.
"I've been made deeply unhappy by my party's decision to align itself with the Tories," she told the Belfast News Letter.
“It was a decision made without any prior consultation with me. My views about it are already well known. Whilst I am truly sorry to have missed seeing many of my Ulster Unionist friends at [the] conference, I simply couldn’t go along and pretend to endorse the New Force arrangements.”
The Conservatives have already selected Ian Parsley as their North Down candidate. He defected from Alliance following a good showing in June’s European elections. Once the UUP selects its candidate, the two parties will get together to decide who will be the joint candidate to run on the UCUNF ticket.
UUP chief whip Fred Cobain said the party understood Lady Hermon’s reservations and were prepared to give her time to make up her mind.
He said no one was “outside the loop on this”, adding that the UUP was an “inclusive” party.
“The vast majority of Ulster Unionists would like to see Lady Sylvia standing for re-election,” he said.
However, some key members of the party are privately critical of Lady Hermon, believing the party should select a candidate now in view of her public denunciation of the link with the Conservatives.
The Irish Timeshas been told that others in the party are less than happy with the association with the Conservatives, but are quietly going along with the plan as it may provide a much-needed electoral boost.