Kieran McCarthy MLA said: “This arrangement strikes me as being like the story of the emperor’s new clothes. This is the same Ulster Unionist Party with the same outdated mindset. A quick name change will make no difference at all.
“The new name is intriguing. They must decide whether they are a new force or are simply a spent force that appeals to few.
“People do not know what the Ulster Unionists stand for because they appear to be courting the TUV one day and then running with the Tories the next.
“I welcome the Conservatives to politics in Northern Ireland; however, the track record of the UUP shows that they will most likely embarrass the Tories.
“People who want an end to division in our society and want to support a genuinely outward looking party should look to Alliance.”
ENDS