The Ulster Unionists and British Conservatives have agreed an electoral pact between the two parties.
The decision of the executive of the Ulster Unionist Party last night to form the pact was unanimously backed by Northern Ireland Conservative Party members.
The deal will initially see the parties run on a joint ticket in Westminster and European elections in Northern Ireland, though it is yet to be decided whether the partnership will extend to Assembly and local council polls.
Representatives from both parties will now form a joint committee to work out an electoral strategy ahead of new year’s European elections, with a report due at the end of January.
In a statement released this morning, Tory leader David Cameron today hailed the deal.
He said: “I am delighted by this agreement between the Conservatives and the Ulster Unionists. It will give all the people of Northern Ireland, for the first time in decades, a new choice in politics.
“For too long Northern Ireland has been outside of the mainstream of politics in the United Kingdom. This new political force will help change that, and allow everyone in Northern Ireland to participate fully in political life both in Northern Ireland and throughout the United Kingdom.”
The deal approved last night by the 80-strong gathering of UUP executive members re-establishes historic links between the parties.
The long-standing association was broken in 1985 when unionists objected to Margaret Thatcher’s decision to sign the Anglo-Irish Agreement, which gave the Republic an advisory role in the governance of the North.
The Conservative Party already organises in Northern Ireland but has been unable to make any political breakthrough.
The UUP has lost ground to the Democratic Unionist Party, which has replaced it as the largest party in the North.
Mr Cameron and UUP leader Sir Reg Empey hope a pact could extend Tory influence to a part of the United Kingdom where it is a minority voice, as well as allowing Northern Ireland voters to have a link to national politics.
Sinn Féin already campaigns on an all-Ireland basis and has elected representatives on both sides of the Irish border.
The SDLP has also sought in recent years to form an alliance with one of the Republic’s larger parties, though hopes for a tie-in with Fianna Fáil have been interrupted by the economic crises dominating politics.
PA