UUP Leader Addresses Doug Beattie Candidacy Situation
Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) leader Jon Burrows has stated that he "did not personally intervene" regarding the potential deselection of one of his predecessors as party candidate.
Last week it emerged that former UUP leader Doug Beattie was not expected to be selected as the party's candidate for Upper Bann in the upcoming Northern Ireland Assembly election scheduled for next year.
Burrows explained that the constituency association has now opted to run two candidates instead of one, with a selection meeting planned for June to determine the final candidates.
The UUP leader emphasized that he has not "fallen out" with Beattie, whom he described as an "exceptional politician."
Selection Process and Party Position
Speaking on BBC Radio Ulster's The Nolan Show, Burrows assured that the selection process would be "fair and transparent."
"There is a process, it's laid down in rules and I don't have a role in that process until the very end where there's a ratification,"
He further clarified that he "did not personally intervene" and "didn't influence anyone else to intervene" in the decision to run two candidates rather than one.
"There's a lot of press speculation so I'm only going to deal in facts,"
"The association initially was going to choose one candidate. The association has now chosen to run two candidates.
"Neither of those candidates have been picked, and they will be picked in the forthcoming weeks and months."
Background on Doug Beattie and Party Dynamics
Doug Beattie has served as an assembly member since 2016 and was the UUP leader from 2021 until 2024.
A source close to Beattie informed NI that he was being forced out because he was perceived as too moderate within party ranks.
Beattie's anticipated replacement as candidate in Upper Bann is Kyle Savage, a councillor on Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council.
In the 2022 Assembly election, Beattie was elected as the fourth MLA out of five in Upper Bann. He secured his seat on the seventh count with 9.3% of first-preference votes.
His running mate, Glenn Barr, was unsuccessful, receiving 6% of first-preference votes.
Potential Impact of Running Two Candidates
When asked whether running a second candidate could split the UUP vote in Upper Bann and risk losing the current seat, Burrows declined to comment on tactical details.
"I'm not going to go through blow-by-blow every tactical decision about how many candidates we run in each constituency in order to maximise our vote,"
He reiterated his commitment, first expressed in January upon assuming leadership, to "grow the Ulster Unionist Party."
