The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) has dismissed a request from the UK Unionist Party leader, Mr Robert McCartney, to be allowed to address its annual conference in Newcastle, Co Down, on Saturday.
Mr McCartney had written to the UUP seeking permission to address the conference. He was making his request, he said, because "at this time of constitutional crisis it is of vital importance that the entire pro-Union community be made aware of the core issues and their implications".