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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Tory, UUP pact name is revealed | Tory, UUP pact name is revealed |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| The Conservatives and Ulster Unionist Party have confirmed plans to fight elections in Northern Ireland on a joint ticket and under a new name. | The Conservatives and Ulster Unionist Party have confirmed plans to fight elections in Northern Ireland on a joint ticket and under a new name. |
| Ballot papers will carry the title 'Ulster Conservatives and Unionists - New Force', it has been revealed. | Ballot papers will carry the title 'Ulster Conservatives and Unionists - New Force', it has been revealed. |
| UUP leader Sir Reg Empey said he was "delighted" by the move. | UUP leader Sir Reg Empey said he was "delighted" by the move. |
| "This is something entirely new in NI, something which would allow us to become more fully and demonstrably an equal partner within the UK family." | "This is something entirely new in NI, something which would allow us to become more fully and demonstrably an equal partner within the UK family." |
| Sir Reg added: "The UUP believes that the union is a two-way process and we believe that a pan-UK unionist vehicle is the best way of promoting the values of the union." | Sir Reg added: "The UUP believes that the union is a two-way process and we believe that a pan-UK unionist vehicle is the best way of promoting the values of the union." |
| He refused to be drawn on the absence at the launch of the only Ulster Unionist MP, Lady Sylvia Hermon, saying she "can speak for herself". | |
| The pact will operate during the next European and general elections, but the two parties will remain independent of each other and have stressed it is not a merger. | |
| The Tory-Ulster Unionist partnership has been under discussion since last July, and Conservative leader David Cameron received a standing ovation at the UUP conference in December. |