UUP chief whip denied candidacy

Pro-anti agreement battle expected over Forsythe seat

The Ulster Unionist Party's chief whip in the assembly has been refused permission to stand in the forthcoming parliamentary by-election for South Antrim.

Jim Wilson's request was turned down by party officers because he already holds an assembly seat, and party rules state that only in special circumstances can one politician do two jobs.

Jim Wilson: "Disappointed by decision"

The South Antrim Ulster Unionist constituency association will choose their candidate for the formerly safe seat held by Clifford Forsythe for 17 years, from a short-list of six, next Monday night.

The choice of candidate is being seen as crucial, because the first Westminster by-election since the Ulster Unionists returned to the power-sharing government with Sinn Fein could be a formidable battle between pro and anti-Good Friday Agreement unionists.

No date has yet been set for the election for the seat, which became vacant when Mr Forsythe died, aged 70, seven weeks ago.

Forsythe, a staunch opponent of the agreement, had a majority of more than 16,000 votes.

Five other hopefuls

Jim Wilson, an agreement supporter, said he was disappointed at not being allowed to stand, but that he understood the decision.

However, another assemblyman Duncan Shipley-Dalton, has said he would be prepared to sacrifice his seat at Stormont if elected as South Antrim MP.

UUP officers will decide if he would be allowed to run at a meeting at party headquarters on Friday.

The five other Ulster Unionists going for the South Antrim nomination include three Antrim councillors Roderick Swann, Roy Thompson and Adrian Watson.

David Campbell and David Burnside also hope to stand.

William McCrea is candidate for the Democratic Unionist Party.

In the 1998 assembly election, the gap between the UUP and the DUP was just under 4,500 votes.

Of the other parties, the SDLP are the strongest, with an 18% share of the vote at the assembly election.