Poll suggests UUP losses

The Ulster Unionist Party is set to lose out to the Democratic Unionist Party in next week's Stormont elections, according to latest polling.

An Ipsos-Mori survey for the Belfast Telegraph confirmed that DUP leader Rev Ian Paisley and Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness are on course to become the first and deputy first ministers.

That outcome depends on the parties striking a devolution deal as well as the result of the March 7 election.

The poll puts the DUP on 25 per cent, Sinn Fein on 22 per cent, the SDLP on 20 per cent, the UUP on 16 per cent, the Alliance Party on nine per cent and the Greens on three per cent.

The Conservatives, the UK Unionists and the Progressive Unionists are all on one per cent each.

The UUP are down almost seven percentage points on the party's performance in the assembly election of November 2003, reflecting their poor performance in the latest UK general election which saw them reduced to one MP.

Half of the respondents to the poll said they think it is likely that a working assembly and executive will be established after the election.