DUP: Wins UUP backing in marginal seat

Two leading members of David Trimble's Ulster Unionist Party have given their backing to the Democratic Unionist Party candidate in the South Belfast constituency.

Former UUP leader Lord Molyneaux and past president Martin Smyth said they were supporting the DUP's Jimmy Spratt.

Smyth represented the seat in the most recent parliament but is not seeking re-election.

The UUP and DUP have been arguing over which of them has the best chance of defeating the challenge from the SDLP and Sinn Fein in the seat.

The latest comments will come as a blow to Trimble, who has been struggling to maintain his party's central position in Ulster's politics since it was replaced by the DUP as the largest party in the suspended Stormont assembly.

Spratt said he was "delighted" that Smyth and Lord Molyneaux had been photographed with him for his campaign material.

"I have got other support from within the [UUP]," he said.

"The two gentlemen came to back me voluntarily - I didn't have any contact with them myself before last Friday."

Spratt said he was the only candidate in the constituency who could "unite unionism".

"Three-horse race"

Responding to the news, SDLP deputy leader Alasdair McDonnell said the race in the constituency was now "wide open".

"This is a three-horse race. The views of these two gentlemen are settled and well-known and can hardly come as any surprise. They have consistently opposed change," he said.

"The voters of South Belfast want change, they want progress through partnership and power-sharing and they will not want to be represented by opponents of change.

"We in the SDLP have always stood stronger than anyone else for the agreement and we will stand up to all the opponents of the agreement.

"The reality is that a vote for the SDLP is the surest way of getting things moving again and getting our institutions up and running again."