General Election: Ulster Unionists will run in East Belfast - meaning three way unionist split in DUP leader's constituency

Ulster Unionist Party leader Doug Beattie has refused to engage in pacts, saying that it shrinks the unionist vote.

He is facing a challenge from the Alliance Party leader Naomi Long, who has received the effective endorsement of Sinn Fein.

The republican party announced last week that it will not run a candidate in four constituencies – including East Belfast – and is instead encouraging their voters to back “progressive” candidates.

The Ulster Unionists would not confirm who the candidate is, but it is understood to be Ryan Warren.

Mr Warren is in his 30s and a relatively recent recruit to the UUP.

Despite the DUP announcing that it would not challenge the UUP candidate Diana Armstrong in Fermanagh and South Tyrone – there has been no reciprocal withdrawal by Doug Beattie’s party.

Mr Beattie has argued that unionists must be given a choice at the general election, to stop the overall vote shrinking.

At the TUV’s candidate launch last week, Jim Allister said talks on unionist unity “came to nothing” – not because of any fault of himself or Gavin Robinson “but because of the belligerence of the Ulster Unionist Party”.

The UUP responded telling Cool FM’s James Gould “This nonsense needs to stop. As the party leader I had no substantive talks on any ‘unity candidate’ bar a last minute flurry of phone calls.

“I made it clear we had selected our candidate and having come within 57 votes of winning the seat in Fermanagh & South Tyrone we were best placed to fight the seat.

“I asked no party to stand aside for our candidate”.

Gavin Robinson said last week that The Democratic Unionist Party “not only talks the talk of unionist co-operation but also has demonstrated at previous General Elections in particular that we have been prepared to sacrifice our party interest in the best interests of Northern Ireland’s cause within the Union.

Gavin Robinson is the clear favourite among the unionist candidates.

TUV-Reform UK’s John Ross is also running in the constituency