UUP leader denies intervening over Doug Beattie candidacy

Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) leader Jon Burrows has said he "did not personally intervene" over one of his predecessors facing deselection.

Last week it emerged that former leader Doug Beattie was not expected to be chosen as the party's candidate for Upper Bann in next year's Northern Ireland Assembly election.

Burrows said the constituency association has now decided to run two candidates instead of one, with a selection meeting due to be held in June.

The UUP leader said he had not "fallen out" with Beattie and described him as an "exceptional politician".

Speaking to BBC Radio Ulster's The Nolan Show, Burrows said the selection process would be "fair and transparent".

"There is a process, it's laid down in rules and I don't have a role in that process until the very end where there's a ratification," he said.

Burrows said he "did not personally intervene" and "didn't influence anyone else to intervene" in the move to run two candidates instead of one.

"There's a lot of press speculation so I'm only going to deal in facts," he said.

"The association initially was going to choose one candidate. The association has now chosen to run two candidates.

"Neither of those candidates have been picked, and they will be picked in the forthcoming weeks and months."

Beattie became an assembly member in 2016 and was UUP leader between 2021 and 2024.

A source close to Beattie had told BBC News NI he was being forced out because he was regarded as being too moderate.

His replacement in Upper Bann was expected to be Kyle Savage, a councillor on Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council.

In the 2022 assembly election, Beattie was the fourth MLA of five elected in Upper Bann. He was elected on the seventh count with 9.3% of the first-preference votes.

His running mate Glenn Barr was unsuccessful, receiving a 6% share of first preferences.

Burrows would not be drawn on whether a second candidate could cause a split in the UUP vote in the area, potentially costing the party their current seat in Upper Bann.

"I'm not going to go through blow-by-blow every tactical decision about how many candidates we run in each constituency in order to maximise our vote," he said.

He reaffirmed a commitment made in January upon assuming the leadership role, that he was "determined to grow the Ulster Unionist Party".