Trimble wife to fight Donaldson

Mrs Trimble has been constituency organiser for her husband

Daphne Trimble, the wife of the Ulster Unionist leader, wants to challenge Jeffrey Donaldon at the next general election.

Mrs Trimble announced her intention on Tuesday to seek the party's nomination in the Westminster election.

The seat is held by Mr Donaldson, the Democratic Unionist Party MP, who defected from the UUP in January this year.

Mrs Trimble said she did not think the DUP spoke for the people of Lagan Valley.

"While there is obviously a DUP vote in Lagan Valley, I feel quite confident that I can take it on," she said.

"It is traditionally an Ulster Unionist seat and the people have always been represented by Ulster Unionists.

If Mrs Trimble believes there has been a resurgence of support for her husband's policies, then I think it shows just how out of touch she is with the unionist electorate Jeffrey Donaldson

"Jeffrey's vote has always been an Ulster Unionist vote. It was Ulster Unionist voters who elected him and I think they deserve to have a representative at Westminster."

She said it was up to Ulster Unionist constituency members to decide who they wanted to contest the seat.

"I am putting my name forward to the party if they want to have me as their candidate," she said.

'Voted for change'

In last November's assembly election, Mr Donaldson topped the poll with just over 14,000 first preference votes.

In the 2001 general election, he received almost 26,000 votes - the highest figure for all Northern Ireland constituencies.

However, Mr Donaldson said Mrs Trimble should be aware that "in the assembly elections three-quarters of Ulster Unionist voters voted for anti-(Good Friday) Agreement candidates and voted to reject her husband's policies".

"If Mrs Trimble believes there has been a resurgence of support for her husband's policies, then I think it shows just how out of touch she is with the unionist electorate," he said.

"Unionists voted for change when they gave me and my colleagues the overwhelming mandate in the assembly elections," he said.

Mrs Trimble practised as a solicitor for several years, specialising in property and family law.

She took up the post as constituency organiser for her husband in his Upper Bann constituency.