Statement by TUV North Down candidate Kaye Kilpatrick:

“The DUP’s stated reason for not fielding a candidate in North Down is cynical in the extreme. There is no possibility of North Down being won by a Nationalist. Therefore to claim that they are motivated by their desire to see “Unionist unity” is utter nonsense. If a desire to see Unionist unity is the motivating factor why have they not withdrawn from Fermanagh and South Tyrone and South Belfast – where a spit Unionist vote genuinely is an issue of concern?

“This move isn’t about Unionist unity. It’s about helping Lady Sylvia – a woman who believes that Sinn Fein/IRA is “not our enemy”.

“I would now call on all convinced Unionists to rally behind me as the only real Unionist on the ballot paper in North Down. Lady Sylvia will be running as an independent while local Ulster Unionists have been disenfranchised by the imposition of a Tory candidate.”