UK Unionist Party

The UK Unionist Party (UKUP) is a small political party operating in Northern Ireland. It was formed by the independent Unionist MPRobert McCartney to contest the 1996 elections for the Northern Ireland Forum.

Ideologically the UK Unionist Party deviates from traditional Unionist parties in that it believes that Northern Ireland should be governed as a fully integrated part of the United Kingdom, whereas most other Unionists have sought the re-establishment of a devolved assembley and executive. The UKUP opposes proposals to give the Irish government executive powers over Northern Ireland. They are also highly critical of the UK Labour government for allowing Sinn Féin to take up their seats in the Executive before the IRA has fully disarmed themselves. The party also opposed the reformation of the Royal Ulster Constabulary to the Police Service Northern Ireland.

McCartney, along two other members won seats on the 1996 Forum. The UKUP (as well as the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) refused to accept Senator Mitchell as chairman of the multi-party talks and tried to obstruct him in the undertaking of his tasks. In July 1996 the UKUP withdrew from the multi-party talks in protest at the way in which the stand off at the Orange Order parade at Drumcree was handled. When Sinn Féin entered the talks in September, 1997 the UKUP and the DUP left them in protest.

At the 1997 General Election McCartney was re-elected as an MP.

The party opposed the April 1998 Belfast Agreement and campaigned against the establishment of a Northern Ireland Assembly, in which they were unsuccessful. They did contest the election for the assembly however, in which the party managed to win five seats.

In December, 1998 the party splitover the issue of Sinn Féin taking up its seats in the power sharing executive without prior Provisional IRA decommissioning of weapons. McCartney censured his four Assembly colleagues in their absence over this split and in January, 1999 they all left the UKUP to form the Northern Ireland Unionist Party leaving McCartney as the sole UKUP representative in the assembly.

At the 2001 General Election McCartney lost his seat in the House of Commons to the Ulster Unionist Party. In the Northern Ireland Assembly Election, 2003 he was only narrowly re-elected to the Assembley. No other UKUP members were successfully elected to replace those who had formed the Northern Ireland Unionist Party but there was the consolation satisfaction that the latter party won no seats at all.