Weir to fight suspension

Peter Weir: Suspended from party

The Ulster Unionists' North Down General Election candidate has said he intends to fight his suspension from the party.

Peter Weir was suspended after a three-hour disciplinary committee meeting on Friday, because he had consistently voted against the party line in the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Earlier on Monday, the UUP outlined its reasons for suspending the North Down assembly member, who is opposed to the party's pro-Good Friday Agreement policy.

But defending himself publicly for the first time since the suspension, Mr Weir said: "I think I have been the victim of a witch hunt because I had the audacity to get selected for North Down."

Mr Weir said three of the major movers behind his suspension were party leader David Trimble, chairman Jim Wilson and newly selected Fermanagh-South Tyrone General Election candidate James Cooper "who vigorously prosecuted the matter".

Suspension grounds

Ten votes with DUP

Ignored three-line whip

Refused to retake the whip

No-confidence motion vote

Did not support party

Failed to support policy

"They regard my determination to stick to my pledge of no guns, no government as embarrassing," he said.

"I have been made a scapegoat of problems facing the party."

Mr Weir added that after the party whip was taken away from him, while he had on some occasions voted with the Democratic Unionists, when his conscience dictated, he could not recall ever voting against a UUP motion.

While acknowledging that he could lose the party candidacy if his suspension was upheld, Mr Weir said he wanted to take legal advice on the options open to him before commenting on what he intended to do in detail.

But he said: "Clearly I want to fight this within the party. The question is only how and within which body.

"Any attempt to deselect me will only have the effect of tearing the North Down association apart and damaging the party. This is no way to unite the party."

Party line

In a statement, the party's disciplinary committee said Mr Weir had been found guilty of six charges, including voting with the anti-agreement Democratic Unionists, against his own party on 10 occasions.

It added that a number of these votes were subject to the UUP three-line whip.

The committee also said that having had the party whip removed from him on 18 January 1999, he refused in May 2000 the offer to resume his position in the assembly party.

On 9 October last year, Mr Weir did not vote against a DUP motion of no confidence in the first minister, party leader David Trimble, it added.

The committee also said that "having signed a declaration on 5 May 1998 that he would faithfully support the current policy of the UUP and that he would accept the party whip, he has failed to do so on an ongoing basis".

Meanwhile, Lady Sylvia Herman, the constituency association chairwoman said she understood Mr Weir would have 28 days to appeal the ruling.

She said the constituency had effectively been left with no candidate for the General Election by the decision.

But she said she did not want to comment further until the association had met and had clarification from party headquarters and from Mr Weir about what further action they intended to take.

South Antrim assembly member Duncan Shipley-Dalton has said he would be interested in taking over from Mr Weir as North Down candidate.