Ian Paisley confirms support for DUP leader Robinson

North Antrim MP Ian Paisley has said the new interim leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) Gavin Robinson has his "100% support".

"He will make a tremendous leader and steady the ship," he said.

Mr Paisley was among DUP members who voted against the deal the party struck with the UK government in February to return to Stormont.

But he insisted that despite recent upheaval, the DUP would have a "united manifesto" ahead of the next election.

Mr Robinson was appointed interim DUP leader late last month after the resignation of Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, who was charged with rape and other historical sexual offences.

Sir Jeffrey has said he will strenuously contest the allegations.

Speaking to the BBC's Good Morning Ulster Programme, Mr Paisley said it had been a "difficult period" for the party.

But he added that Mr Robinson had the "unanimous support of the party officers".

Mr Paisley also described the DUP as "the last line of defence for the union," arguing that it was the only unionist party that could win a sizeable number of seats in the forthcoming Westminster poll.

The MP, who is running in the next general election to retain his North Antrim seat, insisted he was a "DUP man and will knock doors on the basis of that".

In February, the party agreed to a deal called Safeguarding the Union, which laid out new measures aimed at simplifying domestic imports and encouraging trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

'Degree of spin'

The DUP had quit the Stormont executive in 2022, demanding changes to the post-Brexit Irish Sea border, arguing it was damaging Northern Ireland's place in the union.

The deal was reached and initially sold by Sir Jeffrey.

In his interview on Wednesday morning, Mr Paisley refused to say whether Sir Jeffrey had oversold the Safeguarding the Union deal.

But he said: "I think Gavin Robinson has created significant space for the party to tell the story properly, to allow those of us who felt there was a degree of spin, that we're back to a solid base of truth."

He said the deal was "not a finished destination" and there was more to come.

• DUP focus unchanged after ‘difficult’ week

• No contact between DUP and Donaldson, Robinson says

Mr Paisley said his party would have a united manifesto on the issue.

"My party is last line of defence for the union, no other unionist party coming behind is going to save the union, no other unionist party can win seats at Westminster," he said.

He said other unionist parties running in some constituencies could split the vote and allow Sinn Féin or Alliance to take the seat.

"It's not about us to determine what pacts look like, the electorate determine it," Mr Paisley said.

Orange Order grand secretary Mervyn Gibson told BBC Radio Ulster's Talkback programme there was "a certain element that unionism is dejected".

"I know a lot of people are just disillusioned at this point of time and that leads to apathy and that's where we need to give ourselves a shake, rather than go further into this 'last line of defence'.

"Let's begin to move forward again," he said.