A LEADING Northern Ireland Conservative member of a special committee set up to establish the new pact with the Ulster Unionists has resigned in protest.
Jeffrey Peel quit the joint committee, which only last week helped foster a new working agreement and electoral pact between the two parties.
His lengthy resignation statement contained an attack on the UUP and accusations that it was using the new relationship to get itself out of a financial crisis.
Mr Peel said the Ulster Unionists had broken understandings about media briefings in advance of the February 27th news conference at which the new arrangements were officially released.
He also accused the UUP of breaching agreements on “branding” issues, including the full name of the two-party affiliation to be used and the joint logo.
“As Conservatives we wished to ensure that branding reflected the non-sectarian and national nature of our joint initiative,” Mr Peel said, “with successful candidates taking the Conservative whip in Europe and in Westminster”.
He issued a blanket condemnation of the party and singled out North Down MP Sylvia Hermon for criticism.
“I have come to the conclusion that the UUP does not have the interests of Conservatism at heart. Rather, as the UUP is facing a severe financial crisis, it sees the Conservatives as a means out of its financial and electoral woes.
“Many UUP members (although by no means all) still adopt a little Ulster mentality when it comes to politics, and the party’s only MP is simply not a Conservative.”
DUP leader and First Minister Peter Robinson said the resignation was a debacle.
“The community wants to see political unionism advancing through co-operation and the pursuit of real unionist policies,” he said.