UUP members quit party

Members of David Trimble's constituency are said to have left the party

More than 30 Ulster Unionists in David Trimble's constituency are reported to have quit the party.

The members walked out of an AGM of the party leader's Upper Bann Association which was attended by several hundred people.

It comes days after the anti-Agreement Democratic Unionist Party claimed to have gained more than 100 new members from the Ulster Unionist Party in the Lagan Valley area.

Last month, Lagan Valley MP Jeffrey Donaldson left the UUP along with assembly members Arlene Foster and Norah Beare.

On Saturday night, Garfield Gilpin, who was vice-chairman of a branch in Upper Bann, was among the delegates who walked out of the UUP constituency meeting.

He said he had resigned because of Mr Trimble's leadership.

"A large section of the party is removing itself from the party and if enough leave, the party will collapse, because economically it will not be viable either in votes or in financial terms.

"He (David Trimble) has got away from basic Ulster Unionist principles and no longer represents the majority of grassroots traditional unionism," he said.

Mr Gilpin added: "The wheels are falling off the machine. We are probably looking at several branches facing closure."

Review due

He said a change in leadership could bring him back into the party along with a "recognition that the party is sterile".

The defection of Mr Donaldson, Ms Beare and Ms Foster brought the DUP's strength at Stormont to 33, nine more than the UUP.

It also confirmed the DUP as largest Northern Ireland party at Westminster.

A review of the Good Friday Agreement is due to begin on 3 February, which will involve the British and Irish Governments and parties elected to the assembly last November.

The political institutions were suspended in October 2002 amid allegations of IRA intelligence-gathering in the Stormont government.

The parties went into the assembly election against the background of a deadlocked process.