Ulster Conservatives and Unionists – New Force
Encyclopedia
The Ulster Conservatives and Unionists, officially registered as the Ulster Conservatives and Unionists – New Force (UCUNF), is a bipartisan electoral alliance
in Northern Ireland
between the Ulster Unionist Party
(UUP) and the Northern Ireland branch
of the Conservative Party
, the latter party also being active throughout the rest of the United Kingdom
. There is no formally constituted group with this name; instead, the name is a registered description of the UUP and of the Conservative Party.
, and will also be used for general election
s to the UK House of Commons in Northern Ireland. The first candidate to stand for election using this description was Ulster Unionist Jim Nicholson
in the 2009 European Parliament election
. He polled 82,893 votes, 17.0% of the total, and was elected as a Member of the European Parliament
(MEP).
(MP) from the 2005 general election, Lady Sylvia Hermon
for North Down
, had expressed public dissatisfaction with the arrangement since early in 2009, and left the UUP in March 2010, deciding to contest the forthcoming general election as an Independent
. As such, the alliance had no incumbent MPs. On 7 April 2010 the candidate for Fermanagh and South Tyrone
, Tom Elliott
, withdrew in favour of Independent
Rodney Connor
, leaving that constituency without a UCUNF candidate.
The Conservative & UUP alliance failed to gain any seats in the election. The UUP lost their only seat in North Down to Sylvia Hermon's independent campaign. Across Northern Ireland, the alliance share of the vote was 15.2%, which was a drop of 2.6%.
Electoral alliance
An electoral alliance may take the form of a bipartisan electoral agreement, electoral agreement, electoral coalition or electoral bloc. It is an association of political parties or individuals which exists solely to stand in elections...
in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
between the Ulster Unionist Party
Ulster Unionist Party
The Ulster Unionist Party – sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or, in a historic sense, simply the Unionist Party – is the more moderate of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland...
(UUP) and the Northern Ireland branch
Conservatives in Northern Ireland
The Conservatives Northern Ireland is the section of the Conservative and Unionist Party of the United Kingdom that operates in Northern Ireland...
of the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
, the latter party also being active throughout the rest of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. There is no formally constituted group with this name; instead, the name is a registered description of the UUP and of the Conservative Party.
2009 European Parliament campaign
Conservatives and Unionists candidates were first selected for the 2009 European Parliament electionEuropean Parliament election, 2009
Elections to the European Parliament were held in the 27 member states of the European Union between 4 and 7 June 2009. A total of 736 Members of the European Parliament were elected to represent some 500 million Europeans, making these the biggest trans-national elections in history...
, and will also be used for general election
General election
In a parliamentary political system, a general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.The term...
s to the UK House of Commons in Northern Ireland. The first candidate to stand for election using this description was Ulster Unionist Jim Nicholson
Jim Nicholson (UK politician)
James Frederick "Jim" Nicholson is a Northern Ireland Ulster Unionist Party politician, who is currently a Member of the European Parliament .-Career:...
in the 2009 European Parliament election
European Parliament election, 2009 (United Kingdom)
The European Parliament election was the United Kingdom's component of the 2009 European Parliament election, the voting for which was held on Thursday 4 June 2009, coinciding with the 2009 local elections in England. Most of the results of the election were announced on Sunday 7 June, after...
. He polled 82,893 votes, 17.0% of the total, and was elected as a Member of the European Parliament
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
(MEP).
2010 UK general election campaign
On 24 February 2010, the alliance announced 9 of the 18 candidates who were to run in the 2010 United Kingdom general election. The UUP's sole Member of ParliamentMember of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) from the 2005 general election, Lady Sylvia Hermon
Sylvia Hermon
Sylvia Eileen Hermon, Lady Hermon is a Northern Irish politician. Since 2001, she has been the Member of Parliament for the constituency of North Down, first elected for the Ulster Unionist Party , but now an independent...
for North Down
North Down (UK Parliament constituency)
North Down is a Parliamentary Constituency in the United Kingdom House of Commons. The current MP is Sylvia Hermon, elected as an Independent in the 2010 General Election. -Boundaries:The county constituency was first created in 1885 from the northern part of Down...
, had expressed public dissatisfaction with the arrangement since early in 2009, and left the UUP in March 2010, deciding to contest the forthcoming general election as an Independent
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
. As such, the alliance had no incumbent MPs. On 7 April 2010 the candidate for Fermanagh and South Tyrone
Fermanagh and South Tyrone (UK Parliament constituency)
Fermanagh and South Tyrone is a Parliamentary constituency in the British House of Commons. The current MP for the constituency is Michelle Gildernew of Sinn Féin....
, Tom Elliott
Tom Elliott
Tom Elliott MLA is a Northern Ireland Ulster Unionist MLA and the leader of the Ulster Unionist Party and former UDR member...
, withdrew in favour of Independent
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
Rodney Connor
Rodney Connor
Rodney Connor was the Unionist "Unity" candidate for the House of Commons of the United Kingdom in Fermanagh and South Tyrone in the 2010 Westminster election. He had the backing of the Democratic Unionist Party , and the Ulster Conservatives and Unionists – New Force electoral alliance between...
, leaving that constituency without a UCUNF candidate.
The Conservative & UUP alliance failed to gain any seats in the election. The UUP lost their only seat in North Down to Sylvia Hermon's independent campaign. Across Northern Ireland, the alliance share of the vote was 15.2%, which was a drop of 2.6%.