DUP Decision Looms Over MEP Nomination

Although the wife of Northern Ireland Finance Minister and North Belfast MP Nigel Dodds, is to seek nomination by the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) for a chance to become the party's European election candidate, it emerged today that Diane Dodds is to have at least two other rivals.

East Belfast MLA Robin Newton threw his hat in the ring weeks before Diane Dodds, and now finds himself running against his party colleague Diane Dodds.

Mrs Dodds, who lost her Assembly seat for West Belfast at the last election, has as yet made no public comment and it will be just over a week before the party's Executive meets to formally select its European candidate for the June 4 election.

Robin Newton, who has been a Belfast City councillor since the mid-1980s, said today: "I had allowed my name to go forward before Diane, so it is now a new situation."

Speaking ahead of next Tuesday's DUP Executive meeting, Mr Newton, (pictured) who is Vice Chairman of Stormont Employment and Learning Committee, continued: "I have some experience in the party and thought there would be an opportunity there."

While refusing to enter any public controversy with Mrs Dodds, Mr Newton said he had had "some experience of European funding issues" and other areas as a councillor.

Mr Newton is a former international athlete who runs his own management consultancy and has been a "strong campaigner on behalf of the elderly and has worked with many senior citizen clubs, tenants organisations, community groups and youth groups in east Belfast", according to the DUP's own website.

He has a professional background in training matters within the distributive sector of NI's industrial training boards, as well as through the NI Training Authority, whose former role has since been mostly absorbed into the Training & Employment Agency within the Department for Employment and Learning.

He is a regular commentator in matters of business and commerce, especially within his own constituency of East Belfast.

The only other party candidiate for the European seat is Deirdre Nelson, a DUP councillor in Ballymena.

(BMcC)