Ulster Unionist Leader, Mike Nesbitt MLA, has congratulated Jo-Anne Dobson on her unanimous selection by the Upper Bann Ulster Unionist Association as their candidate for next year's General Election. Jo-Anne was confirmed at a selection meeting in Loughbrickland tonight (Monday) and joins Danny Kinahan, who has already been selected by the South Antrim Association. Their names now go forward as unanimous choices for ratification to the Party Officers.
Mr Nesbitt said:
"I am delighted for Jo-Anne, delighted for Danny and delighted for the Party. In the past, our candidates have suffered from the unnecessary handicap of late selection and I was determined not to shackle our best hopes for success next May. There is no pretending we do not have key target seats for Westminster 2015, and it was part of my strategy that we ensure the selection processes in Upper Bann and South Antrim were completed before our Party Conference. This has been done and I look forward to them both playing central roles at Conference this Saturday.
"We will now press on with selecting our remaining candidates, conscious that there are other seats that we can win, and seats that should be targets beyond the 2015 round of elections.
"Returning Ulster Unionist MPs to the green benches of the Commons is critical to our redevelopment and equally importantly, to the future political health of Northern Ireland."