Former UUP Leader makes comeback at expense of party’s only female MLA

Former Ulster Unionist Party leader Tom Elliot has taken the UUP seat in Fermanagh and South Tyrone from party colleague Rosemary Barton.

Ms Barton, who had been been an Assembly member since 2016, was the UUP’s only female representative at Stormont.

It was a risky tactic for the party to run two candidates, with Mr Elliot taking almost double (10.1%) Ms Barton’s share of first preference votes (5.4%).

Mr Elliot said of his political return: “It was a big decision for me to try to come back into that level of politics. We have increased our vote by about 2,500, and we’re pleased about that but there are also mixed emotions.

“It was always at the back of our minds that it was a possibility that we could take two seats, but it didn’t work out. That’s politics.

“We weren’t sure if it was going to fall mine or Rosemary’s way, so both of us had agreed that ‘whatever happens, happens’. We’ve been friends for years.”

Sinn Fein retained all three seats, having picked up the third from the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) in the last Assembly elections.

The party received 44.7% of all first preference votes.

The sitting MLA Jemma Dolan was elected in the first count, while Colm Gildernew and Aine Murphy, who were both facing the electorate for the first time having been co-opted into the Assembly, were returned after the eighth count.

The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP)’s Deborah Erskine, who also went to the polls for the first time after she was co-opted following the departure of Arlene Foster, secured the final seat without reaching the quota.

Ms Erksine paid tribute to the former First Minister as she gave her acceptance speech. It was always going to be a tough task to match Mrs Foster’s strong vote in the area and as expected, the DUP’s total percentage share fell from nearly 30% to 17.7%.

No change in Fermanagh and South Tyrone as the constituency remains three Sinn Fein, one UUP and one DUP.

Turnout for the area was 69%.