Statement by TUV leader and Euro election candidate Jim Allister:
“Having spent most of the election arrogantly claiming that they have some sort of divine right to represent the Unionist people and spreading the nonsense that one can split the vote in a PR election I welcome clarification from DUP Finance Minister Simon Hamilton that there is no danger of this as long as Unionists transfer down the ballot.
“Commenting on the DUP’s campaign to win a seat in Torrent where there would appear to be only one Unionist quota and sitting UUP councillor Kenneth Reid is standing, Mr Hamilton said: “I was very disappointed to read that some have been scaremongering about the DUP running in Torrent… there is no threat to the Unionist seat in Torrent so long as Unionists transfer down the ballot paper.”
“How odd that the DUP would suddenly seem to grasp the realities of a PR election when they are running against a sitting Unionist!
“Mr Hamilton’s comments have exposed the central DUP theme of this campaign as nonsense. Unionists should, as Simon Hamilton says, vote for their Unionist of choice and then transfer to other pro-Union candidates. That way the Unionist vote is maximised rather than diminished.”