The leader of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) has confirmed he will run in the UK election and contest a seat in South Antrim.
Sir Reg Empey, the Employment Minister and MLA for East Belfast, said he would have been the only party leader not contesting the Westminster election had he not decided to run.
“The fact is that we want to give the electorate an opportunity to be a full part of a British general election, demonstrating that we are part of a national election,” Sir Reg said.
“We are offering real choice, we are offering people an opportunity to have a real say in what happens to them, to taxes," he added. “The government intends to tax jobs and take money out of people’s pockets, we will be opposing that.”
William McCrea, the sitting MP, re-took the south Antrim seat for the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) in 2005 with a majority of 3,448.
The other candidates declared for South Antrim this year are Alan Lawther of Alliance and Mel Lucas of the Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV).
Sir Reg succeeded David Trimble as Ulster Unionist leader in June 2005.
The mayor of Antrim, Adrian Watson, had originally been selected as the party’s candidate in South Antrim by the local Ulster Unionist association. However, the Conservatives - who have an electoral pact with the Ulster Unionists - raised objections and he was rejected by a joint committee of the two parties.
However, DUP minister Arlene Foster accused Sir Reg of changing his mind. “He very clearly said he was not running for Westminster, he said he wanted to concentrate on the Assembly and now all of a sudden he is running for Westminster and quite clearly he is doing this out of desperation, they could not get anyone else,” she said.
DUP Assembly member Trevor Clarke claimed Sir Reg "has clearly made his home in East Belfast and has no track record of work for the people of South Antrim.”
He also asked whether Sir Reg would step down as MLA for East Belfast if elected in South Antrim.
PA