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| Version 3 | Version 4 |
|---|---|
| Parsley leaves the Alliance Party | Parsley leaves the Alliance Party |
| (9 minutes later) | |
| Ian Parsley has resigned from the Alliance Party following speculation he was going to defect. | |
| Mr Parsley said he had already given the party notice of his decision to quit his job as policy officer. | Mr Parsley said he had already given the party notice of his decision to quit his job as policy officer. |
| He said he planned to stay on as a councillor in North Down and would likely be changing his designation to Conservative. | He said he planned to stay on as a councillor in North Down and would likely be changing his designation to Conservative. |
| He said he was mindful he had been elected by Alliance voters and would work closely with the party. | He said he was mindful he had been elected by Alliance voters and would work closely with the party. |
| The North Down representative is beginning a new job with a Conservative funded think-tank. | The North Down representative is beginning a new job with a Conservative funded think-tank. |
| Alliance Party leader David Ford said he was "very disappointed" at the news. | |
| He said he felt Mr Parsley had "left a promising political career to stumble down a blind alley". | |
| Until Friday, Mr Parsley worked as an official with Alliance, but is set to begin a new post with the Centre for Social Justice, a think-tank set up by former Tory leader Iain Duncan-Smith. | |
| Earlier, Mr Parsley dismissed speculation that he was about to defect. | Earlier, Mr Parsley dismissed speculation that he was about to defect. |
| However, his hand appeared to have been forced after the BBC saw an email which suggested he had been formally assessed as as a potential candidate for the Ulster Unionist-Conservative pact. | However, his hand appeared to have been forced after the BBC saw an email which suggested he had been formally assessed as as a potential candidate for the Ulster Unionist-Conservative pact. |
| BBC political reporter Stephen Walker said: "I have certainly seen an email that was addressed to him and talked in such terms as though he was a would-be candidate. | |
| "It talked about a timeframe so if he comes out and says he's not going to join the party he's certainly had discussions with them and he has certainly been down that road." | "It talked about a timeframe so if he comes out and says he's not going to join the party he's certainly had discussions with them and he has certainly been down that road." |
| Mr Ford said he felt any move to the Ulster Unionist-Conservative grouping would pose problems for Mr Parsley in the future. | |
| "There are huge contradictions between the delusions of some Conservatives that think they are anti-sectarian, and the 1950s-style bigotry still coming from Ulster Unionist elements," he said. | |
| "I fear Ian will find this contradiction more and more difficult to live with as time goes on." | |
| There is also speculation that the Ulster Unionists and Conservatives want Mr Parsley to stand against current North Down MP Sylvia Hermon in the upcoming Westminster election. | |
| She has refused to endorse the link-up between the two parties and it is thought unlikely she will stand under the joint banner. | |
| Mr Parsley, who was a member of the Conservative Party as a student, was the Alliance Party's European Election candidate earlier this year. He was first elected to North Down Borough Council in May 2005. | Mr Parsley, who was a member of the Conservative Party as a student, was the Alliance Party's European Election candidate earlier this year. He was first elected to North Down Borough Council in May 2005. |