TUV has announced that the Deputy Mayor of Mid & East Antrim Council, Cllr Matthew Armstrong, will join leader Jim Allister on the ballot paper for the Assembly election in North Antrim.
Jim Allister and Cllr Matthew Armstrong following their selection as the TUV’s North Antrim Assembly candidates.
Renowned for his forthright stand in Stormont, Jim Allister is its most ardent critic as a failed system of government. When first elected he pledged to be a ‘thorn in the side’ of Sinn Fein/DUP rule. His 10 year tenure has proved him as good as his word. He has also secured legislative success with the passing of two Private Members Bills: one to remove convicted terrorists as Special Advisers and more recently his Functioning of Government Act which reduced the number of SpAds, limited their salaries and made it a criminal offence for a minister or Spad to misuse official information.
Commenting Jim Allister said, “With the TUV evidently growing in support, not least because of our unequivocal stand against the iniquitous Protocol, I am looking for an increase in the TUV presence in Stormont. People have seen what one TUV MLA can do, think what multiple TUV voices could deliver.
“Thus, I am delighted to be joined in this election by Matthew Armstrong, one of the new generation of able and effective unionist politicians. Matthew, as leader of the TUV group on Mid & East Antrim Borough Council, has demonstrated ability and political nous which is much needed in Stormont. Together we can give North Antrim the best representation available and replace the disappointment with those who have failed unionism.”
Cllr Armstrong, who is prominent in the local Orange and football fraternity, identifies standing up for Unionist culture and against Sinn Fein as a top political priority, while fighting for autism awareness is one of his special interests. “I want to give strong representation not just on the big ticket political issues but on the everyday matters that so many families confront. With a young family myself I know very well the pressures we all face and for me improving the lot of working families is a priority.”
Commenting on the Protocol controversy Cllr Armstrong said, “Working in the transport logistics sector I see every day the destructive impact of the Protocol on our economy and on our place within the United Kingdom. Thus I am proud to be in the one party, TUV, which identified from the beginning the pernicious threat of the Protocol and which has led unionism in its opposition. This battle is far from over and I believe increasingly voters know they can trust TUV to see it through.”