Paul Berry to stand for assembly

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Former DUP member Paul Berry has confirmed he will stand as an independent unionist in the assembly election scheduled for March.

The assembly member said he was totally opposed to the St Andrews Agreement as "republicans need to deliver".

He fell out with his party over allegations in a Sunday newspaper about an encounter with a masseur in a Belfast hotel last year.

Asked if he considered leaving politics, he said he was not a quitter.

He said his campaign would reflect concerns about the direction the DUP and Ulster Unionists had been taking since the St Andrews talks last October.

"I have consulted my wife, family and close friends about running," he said.

"It was not a decision I have taken lightly but it is based on the support I have received on the ground and also the volume of constituency work and caseloads which have remained heavy ever since I became an independent.

"At the end of the day, I have always been known as someone who has represented people on the ground.

"I have represented this constituency for nine years. I stand on my record and I feel given the state of unionism at this time I must fight the election."