Durkan challenged on name change

The DUP believes that Mr Durkan received at least 1,500 votes from unionists in the last Westminster election, when many pundits were claiming he faced a serious challenge from Sinn Fein.

Although Mr Durkan had a comfortable enough victory in the end, unionist politicians believe that he captured around 1,500 votes from unionist voters who feared Sinn Fein might take the seat.

When the name change issue again came before the council recently, the DUP warned against deferring a decision.

Gregory Campbell said at the time: "What you could get would be a particular nationalist party that would be quite content to park it until after the election in the hope that they might garner a few unionist votes with which to stop Sinn Fin winning the seat."

He added: "And then once they've got the votes in the bag after the election they will lift the baton again afterwards."

Now the DUP has stepped up its attack on the SDLP, saying the nationalist party, which holds the majority of seats on the council, should have prevented divisive moves to try to change the city's name to 'Derry'.

Mr Devenney said: "The SDLP backed the earlier moves to change the city's name, including going to court for a ruling. It has had the power all along to end this divisive process but it has been active for years in supporting a name change.

"Mark Durkan will be knocking on doors asking for votes, and he will be knocking on the doors of unionist people, who may be tempted to lend him their vote. But what they have to remember is that, while Sinn Fein may have proposed the name change, it is the SDLP - the ruling party - that has driven it, and it is the SDLP that must accept responsibility for creating division.

"The former SDLP leader must be challenged at the doorstep and he must be asked questions. The challenge for Mark Durkan is to give an honest answer to the question – is a vote for him a vote to change the city's name?"

Mr Devenney said Mr Durkan, as a candidate and as a former leader of a party that supported moves to remove the 'London' prefix from the city's name, must state publicly where he himself now stands on the issue.

He said: "Mark Durkan must give a clear and unequivocal answer in black and white terms – where does he now stand on the issue of the city's name? The SDLP has taken part in moves to strip the city of its Britishness, and I think that unionists have to send a very clear message to that party - that the name must remain Londonderry.

"The DUP will make this a major issue in this election."

An SDLP statement responded: "The SDLP is in favour of the name change and Mark Durkan will be the SDLP candidate for the Westminster seat. Unlike the DUP and Sinn Fin, our position is that Derry should be officially recognised but that individuals' right to call our city Londonderry must be also respected by public bodies after any name change.

"The name of the city is not the central issue in this campaign. The real issues are whether people want a working MP who will use the seat to be a champion for the entire city; whether our voice is heard on the public spending cuts planned by Labour and the Tories; and championing our community's interests in the face of planned benefits reform. Presbyterian Mutual savers want to know they have a true ally; families are concerned about jobs, health cuts and education; and businesses want to know if they can get credit.

"The DUP or Sinn Fein want to get the debate off those issues - we want to focus on them."