Dear Tom,
I was delighted to see you and a number of your members at our recent conference in Manchester. It was a welcome reminder of the numerous policies and beliefs which our two parties hold in common, and indeed prompted me to reflect on the UCUNF project which brought us together at the last general election. This project was an important stepping stone towards our ambition of delivering mainstream Westminster politics to the people of Northern Ireland.
My own view is that we now need to move this forward to the next stage. However, I do not think that the UCUNF model is the right one for the future, given the complexity of a ‘two-headed’ approach to party management and campaigning.
My aim is straightforward — to provide the people of Northern Ireland with the opportunity to vote for a centre-right, free-market, pro-Union party which will make their vote meaningful within the context of national UK politics. We want to reach out to everybody in Northern Ireland regardless of background and tradition. We also want such a party to be unencumbered by the conflict and divisions in Northern Ireland’s past.
So my suggestion is this: that we take urgent steps to execute what would be in effect a full merger of our two parties under the banner of Conservatism and Unionism.
In broad terms this would mean:
1. The creation of a new party called the Northern Ireland Conservative and Unionist Party (NICUP). The constitution would have to be drafted to make it consistent with the constitution of the United Kingdom Conservative Party (“the Conservative Party”).
2. NICUP would have a relationship with the Conservative Party along the lines of that of the Welsh and Scottish Conservatives with the following key elements:
a) NICUP members would elect the leader in Northern Ireland and would make rules regarding the election or appointment of the chairman or other officers.
b) NICUP members would be entitled to vote for the leader of the Conservative Party.
c) NICUP would be entitled to a representative on the board of the Conservative Party.
d) NICUP would enjoy full access to all of the campaigning resources and techniques of the Conservative Party including the allocation of budget for the establishment of a professional campaign team in Northern Ireland working alongside the national campaigning team based in London.
3. The existing Northern Ireland Conservative Party would be dissolved and its members would automatically become members of the NICUP.
4. The UUP would be dissolved and its members would automatically become members of the NICUP.
This would create an entity which any elector in Northern Ireland will be free to join. It would seek to contest and win elections at every level. All those elected (or appointed) will be subject to the whip of either NICUP or the Conservative Party depending on the forum.
This is a bold proposal and there will be detail to be worked out. Nevertheless, I think it is important that we move quickly to a position where we are at least agreed in principle that this is the correct way to proceed. I am sure that you will wish to consult widely within your own party to see if this is a step that you can take.
From my side, this offer is made with the express approval of the prime minister, the board of the Conservative Party, as well as the chairman of the Northern Ireland Conservative Party, Irwin Armstrong.
I would ask that you revert to me with an agreement in principle to proceed by Christmas. We then need to set a timetable to complete the merger by the early part of next year. This will give us sufficient time to prepare the ground for our campaigns in the European elections in 2014, the general election, assembly elections and local elections in 2015.
I sincerely hope that you and your party are able to embrace this opportunity to bring national politics to the people of Northern Ireland.
With best wishes.
Yours sincerely,
Lord Feldman of Elstree
I was delighted to see you and a number of your members at our recent conference in Manchester. It was a welcome reminder of the numerous policies and beliefs which our two parties hold in common, and indeed prompted me to reflect on the UCUNF project which brought us together at the last general election. This project was an important stepping stone towards our ambition of delivering mainstream Westminster politics to the people of Northern Ireland.
My own view is that we now need to move this forward to the next stage. However, I do not think that the UCUNF model is the right one for the future, given the complexity of a ‘two-headed’ approach to party management and campaigning.
My aim is straightforward — to provide the people of Northern Ireland with the opportunity to vote for a centre-right, free-market, pro-Union party which will make their vote meaningful within the context of national UK politics. We want to reach out to everybody in Northern Ireland regardless of background and tradition. We also want such a party to be unencumbered by the conflict and divisions in Northern Ireland’s past.
So my suggestion is this: that we take urgent steps to execute what would be in effect a full merger of our two parties under the banner of Conservatism and Unionism.
In broad terms this would mean:
1. The creation of a new party called the Northern Ireland Conservative and Unionist Party (NICUP). The constitution would have to be drafted to make it consistent with the constitution of the United Kingdom Conservative Party (“the Conservative Party”).
2. NICUP would have a relationship with the Conservative Party along the lines of that of the Welsh and Scottish Conservatives with the following key elements:
a) NICUP members would elect the leader in Northern Ireland and would make rules regarding the election or appointment of the chairman or other officers.
b) NICUP members would be entitled to vote for the leader of the Conservative Party.
c) NICUP would be entitled to a representative on the board of the Conservative Party.
d) NICUP would enjoy full access to all of the campaigning resources and techniques of the Conservative Party including the allocation of budget for the establishment of a professional campaign team in Northern Ireland working alongside the national campaigning team based in London.
3. The existing Northern Ireland Conservative Party would be dissolved and its members would automatically become members of the NICUP.
4. The UUP would be dissolved and its members would automatically become members of the NICUP.
This would create an entity which any elector in Northern Ireland will be free to join. It would seek to contest and win elections at every level. All those elected (or appointed) will be subject to the whip of either NICUP or the Conservative Party depending on the forum.
This is a bold proposal and there will be detail to be worked out. Nevertheless, I think it is important that we move quickly to a position where we are at least agreed in principle that this is the correct way to proceed. I am sure that you will wish to consult widely within your own party to see if this is a step that you can take.
From my side, this offer is made with the express approval of the prime minister, the board of the Conservative Party, as well as the chairman of the Northern Ireland Conservative Party, Irwin Armstrong.
I would ask that you revert to me with an agreement in principle to proceed by Christmas. We then need to set a timetable to complete the merger by the early part of next year. This will give us sufficient time to prepare the ground for our campaigns in the European elections in 2014, the general election, assembly elections and local elections in 2015.
I sincerely hope that you and your party are able to embrace this opportunity to bring national politics to the people of Northern Ireland.
With best wishes.
Yours sincerely,
Lord Feldman of Elstree
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