Majority backs Trimble in vote

David Trimble celebrates his success after the meeting

Ulster Unionist members have voted in favour of party leader David Trimble's motion calling for three rebel MPs to retake the parliamentary whip.

The 900-member Ulster Unionist Council met on Saturday to discuss disciplinary action against three rebel MPs.

Ulster Unionist MPs Jeffrey Donaldson, David Burnside and Martin Smyth faced action after their decision to resign the party whip at Westminster in protest at party policies.

The amendment tabled by Mr Trimble regretting their actions and calling on them to come back into the fold was passed with 443 supporting Mr Trimble's motion and 359 voting against it.

The three MPs had called the meeting to try to stop disciplinary moves against them, but voting was not reached on their motion.

BBC NI political correspondent Gareth Gordon said it was "another great victory for David Trimble".

TRIMBLE MOTION VOTES CAST For: 443 (55.2%) Against: 359 (44.8%) UUP showdown: what was said

Speaking afterwards, Mr Trimble said he hoped the three MPs would reconsider their stance.

"The reality of the situation is the party and Ulster Unionist Council have voted for themselves.

"They voted to say to people, 'accept the decisions of the council' and they voted to say to people, 'withdraw your threat to split the party and retake the whip'.

"Of course, if people retake the whip, as I made clear, the issues that give rise to consideration of disciplinary proceedings fall by the wayside."

We will not be retaking the whip at Westminster - we are going to oppose the legislation linked to the joint declaration Jeffrey Donaldson Rebel UUP MP

He said there was time for people to "think again".

Mr Donaldson said afterwards that the three rebel MPs would not retake the party whip at Westminster.

"We will not be retaking the whip at Westminster - we are going to oppose the legislation linked to the joint declaration," he said.

"We believe that the majority of unionists in the country are opposed to that joint declaration.

"Someone has to represent their views, and we will be there in parliament putting forward our concerns and seeking to change that which we disagree with."

Debate

Attempts to suspend the MPs from the party by supporters of Mr Trimble were dismissed in July by a High Court judge because it contravened party rules.

A second disciplinary action was since launched, triggering the Ulster Unionist Council debate.

The decision to call another council meeting was taken by party officers at their east Belfast headquarters last month.

The three rebel MPs say they will not retake the party whip

All three MPs were charged with breaking an undertaking which they signed when they stood for election to take the party whip, and with bringing the party into disrepute.

Mr Smyth and Mr Donaldson faced a charge of failing to implement decisions of the Ulster Unionist Council, in their capacity as party officers.

The motion considered by the delegates was more narrow than in some previous meetings.

It called for the disciplinary action being taken against three rebel MPs to be dropped.

An amendment, supported by Mr Trimble, demanded those MPs rejoin the Ulster Unionist parliamentary party.

The joint declaration opposed by the three MPs outlined plans to reduce troop numbers to 5,000 as part of an attempt to move the Northern Ireland political process forward.

The joint declaration included five annexes dealing with security normalisation, policing and justice, human rights and equality, on-the-run paramilitaries and mechanisms to verify and monitor any deal.

Northern Ireland's devolved administration was suspended last October amid allegations of IRA intelligence gathering in the Stormont government.