A non party unionist candidate might run against Sinn Fein in Fermanagh and South Tyrone, says Jim Allister

The TUV leader said that he has been contacted by the DUP about the marginal constituency on Friday ahead of the July 4 poll.

At the last general election in 2019, there were just 57 votes between Sinn Fein's Michelle Gildernew and the defeated unionist candidate Tom Elliott.

In the 2015 poll, Mr Elliott, a former Ulster Unionist Party leader, became the first unionist to hold the constituency since his party colleague Ken Maginnis won the seat in 1983 and held it for 18 years until 2001. Ms Gildernew won the constituency back for Sinn Fein two years later by a modest majority of 875 votes and held it again in 2019.

Rodney Connor, who was an agreed non party unionist candidate in the 2010 general election for Fermanagh SouthvTyrone, seen during the Westminster election count at the Omagh Leisure Centre. He lost the contest by four votes and then unsuccessfully appealed the result through the courts. Pic Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker

The seat has consistently been one of the most narrowly fought in Northern Ireland. Ms Gildernew won it over the UUP’s James Cooper by 53 votes in 2001, and in 2010 she defeated an agreed, non-party unionist candidate Rodney Connor by a mere four votes. Mr Connor was ahead by eight votes after the first count but behind after a recount. He lost a later legal challenge to the result.

Ms Gildernew has ruled herself out of defending the seat because she is standing in the European elections for the Irish Midlands-North West constituency instead. Sinn Fein has not yet announced its candidate for Fermanagh South Tyrone.

On Friday, DUP interim leader Gavin Robinson spoke in favour of unionist co-operation and working with other parties in a bid to maximise unionist representation at Westminster. However, UUP leader Doug Beattie has previously indicated he is not in favour of unionist electoral pacts. The UUP candidate for Fermanagh-South Tyrone is set to be local councillor Diana Armstrong.

Mr Beattie told the PA news agency on Sunday: “The UUP came within 57 votes of beating Sinn Fein at the last Westminster election and therefore represent the best chance of returning an MP who will show up and represent constituents.”

Last week, the DUP and the TUV announced they would not run candidates in the North Down constituency in favour of independent unionist Alex Easton who is challenging the incumbent Stephen Farry (Alliance), and where the former military leader Tim Collins is the UUP candidate.

On Sunday, Mr Allister said he has been contacted by the DUP about Fermanagh-South Tyrone on Friday. He told the BBC's ‘Sunday Politics’ programme: “I think the best idea would be a non-party candidate who could embrace the support of all unionists. If that can be achieved, well and good, but that's the vision and the mission at present. Whether or not it is obtainable remains to be seen because it only takes one of the three parties to say no.”

Mr Allister, has not indicated yet whether he will be standing in this general election, also said his party will not support any candidates who back the Windsor Framework deal.

The North Antrim MLA said decisions are being made around candidate selections for the TUV and are set to be announced within the next week.

The TUV has also recently announced an electoral link-up with Reform UK. The Richard Tice-lead party did not have enough time to register to run in NI constituencies, but has pledged to fully support TUV candidates in the campaign, including with financial backing.

Meanwhile, Mr Allister said: “Here we are electing MPs to a UK Parliament whose laws in Northern Ireland are overruled by the supremacy of the sovereignty-grabbing protocol. Nothing demonstrates more clearly our abandonment to EU colonial rule.

“What a vivid illustration of the constitutional change wrought by the still existing protocol that acts of the proclaimed sovereign parliament of the UK can be struck down, as happened with the legacy act and migration legislation.

“And, all this because of the subjection of NI to the foreign rule and diktat of the protocol – of which not one word was changed by the Windsor Framework or the threadbare DUP/Donaldson Deal.

“This is a constitutional affront of immense significance. Yet, it is what is now acceptable to all protocol implementers. Well, it is not and will not be acceptable to TUV-Reform UK. Our mission is the full restoration of UK sovereignty over UK territory.”