The joint statement issued in the House of Commons yesterday by the Rev Martin Smyth MP, Mr Jeffrey Donaldson MP and Mr David Burnside MP:
Last Monday evening the Ulster Unionist Council, by a narrow majority, failed to reject the Joint Declaration and to uphold key Unionist principles which have been breached as a result of the proposals linked to the Declaration. This decision marked a new low for Unionism. The Party Leader has said that all members must endorse this new policy and thus be complicit in the abandonment of these key principles. In all conscience, this is something we cannot do.
Consequently, being unable to endorse the new policy, we have considered our position and have concluded that as a matter of principle we must resign the whip from the Ulster Unionist Parliamentary Party with immediate effect. This will leave us free to act in the best interests of the people we have been elected to represent in Parliament and the broader Unionist family.
The Ulster Unionist Party began this process with a Parliamentary Party of 10 MPs. Five years later, the Parliamentary Party is now reduced to three MPs and has become a minority within Ünionism, the smallest party in Parliament alongside the SDLP. Today the Ulster Unionist Party has little to show for the price that has been paid. The Leadership has failed to achieve our twin objectives of Devolution and Decommissioning. The Assembly is prorogued, the elections cancelled and the decommissioning process has become a farce without a single paramilitary group co-operating with the Independent Commission. The Party is divided right down the middle.
The Joint Declaration is packed with concessions to Sinn Féin/IRA and offers little prospect of delivering on stable devolution or credible decommissioning. It does not provide the best way forward for the greater number in Northern Ireland and is a product of failed negotiation by those who have lost touch with their people. It is clear that the Leadership of our Party does not represent and cannot speak for a growing majority of Unionists and has comprehensively failed to address their concerns. These people need a voice and we will work with other Unionists of a like mind in Parliament to ensure that their views are properly represented and their concerns adequately addressed.
A new negotiation is necessary to produce a form of accountable local administration at Stormont, which has both Unionist and Nationalist consent. In the coming days, we will also engage with fellow Unionists to discuss how co-operation can be extended to ensure that there is a more united Unionist movement in the future. We must see to it that Unionism is never again represented at the negotiating table in a weak and dysfunctional state. It is our goal to see a realignment of Unionism into a cohesive and dynamic political force that will be capable of delivering political stability for all the people of Northern Ireland and securing the Union for future generations.
the Rev W. MARTIN SMYTH MP
South Belfast
JEFFREY DONALDSON MP
Lagan Valley
DAVID BURNSIDE MP
South Antrim.