Trimble shrugs off no confidence vote

In the latest twist in a series of squabbles within the Ulster Unionist Party, the party’s leader David Trimble faced down a vote of no confidence as a member of parliament for Upper Bann.

The debate saw over 200 people take part in the meeting held at Craigavon Civic Centre in Co Armagh. With the votes cast 115 voted in favour of Mr Trimble and 69 voted against him, and the motion of no confidence was rejected.

But with Mr Trimble taking 62.5% - with 37.5% voting against him - the two sides took away very different impressions of the outcome.

Speaking afterwards, the Ulster Unionist leader said he was pleased by the attendance of a large number of delegates and delighted at the outcome, but saddened at divisions in the party.

He said: "I'm sad that division is detracting attention away from the real underlying problem which is continuing paramilitary activity."

Robert Oliver, the Ulster Unionist party member who had tabled the motion, urged Mr Trimble to reflect on where he stood as the leader of the party as nearly 40% of his constituency association had failed to back him as a the sitting MP.

In the last parliamentary election, Mr Trimble performance at the polls was less than sparkling - his majority slipped from 16,000 to just 2,000.

At last night's meeting, Mr Trimble’s detractors, backing the motion for a vote of no confidence, claimed that a vote exceeding 33% against would weaken his position.

On Monday this week, the three MPs who had resigned the whip and had subsequently been suspended by the Ulster Unionist Party, won a High Court ruling in their favour.

Mr Justice Girvan found that the disciplinary committee had been improperly constituted and the suspension of the three MPs, Jeffery Donaldson, David Burnside and Rev Martin Smyth was lifted.

Last month, Mr Trimble headed off yet another challenge from Jeffery Donaldson who called for the party to withdraw support for the British-Irish Joint declaration - a proposal aimed at getting the peace process back on track.

The Northern Ireland Assembly remains in the limbo of suspension. No date has yet been set for assembly elections.

(SP)