Ulster Unionist party confirms Danny Kennedy as European Election Candidate

By Rebecca Black, Press Association

The Ulster Unionist Party's European candidate says he will be a voice for Unionists who voted to remain in the EU.

Former Stormont minister Danny Kennedy was speaking on Thursday as his party confirmed he will be the candidate in next month's elections to the European Parliament.

His selection will be formally ratified at a meeting of the Ulster Unionist Party Executive on Saturday.

The decision comes following the retirement of veteran Ulster Unionist MEP Jim Nicholson.

Mr Kennedy previously revealed that he had voted remain in the referendum, but said that the vote by the United Kingdom as a whole to leave the European Union "must be respected and implemented".

He said there is a lack of a voice for Unionists who voted remain, with the largest party in Northern Ireland, the Democratic Unionists backing the leave campaign, and emphasised a vote to remain was not a vote to leave the UK.

"Like many people I am angry that Brexit has been so badly handled and uncertainty has increased," he said.

"I will offer a constructive approach to Brexit. Let's do Brexit right and end the uncertainty.

"I'm from a border community. I am a border Unionist and I know exactly what all this means.

"There are those who claim to represent people who voted remain but they haven't represented Unionists who voted remain in the last two years and they won't do so in the future.

"Unionists who voted to remain in the EU did not vote to leave the United Kingdom."