McCune candidacy is endorsed by committee

RODNEY McCune, the Ulster Unionist Party's nominee in East Antrim, has been endorsed by the joint Conservative and Ulster Unionist committee as their candidate for the General Election.

The 33-year-old barrister opened his campaign with a pop at double-jobbing MPs, claiming that since the DUP's Sammy Wilson was elected five years ago the constituency had been "marginalised".

Mr McCune said: “Voters want and deserve a credible alternative to the representatives who have let them down and failed them in the past. I will only have one job as MP and that will be serving my constituents on a full-time basis at Westminster."

Mr McCune said momentum for change was growing because people in Northern Ireland want "a direct say on our future national Government".

He added: "After 12 years in power this Labour Government is stale. It sadly comprises of the third and fourth tier of Labour MPs elected in 1997. Only a change of governing party will bring about the fresh intake of talent we need to move beyond the expenses scandal and tackle the serious immediate challenges our country faces."

Mr McCune, who practises in criminal law, is engaged to be married in August this year. The son of retired senior police officer Roy McCune, he has close family ties in Larne, Carrickfergus and Newtownabbey and is a long-time member of the East Antrim Ulster Unionist Association.

The candidate said: “Sadly, local MPs make no real impact at Westminster and no real contribution to important matters of national debate. Double-jobbing means part-time MPs. If every member of parliament took the approach of many of our local MPs our entire system of parliamentary democracy would fail.”

He did not name Mr Wilson, who is an MP, MLA and Finance Minister at Stormont, but Mr McCune went on to claim: “Over the past five years, East Antrim has been marginalised. The case for the constituency has simply gone by default because of the lack of dedicated representation at Westminster. This has to end.

"I offer people here the chance to influence and shape our future national Government and I offer people here the chance to vote in a full-time MP who takes their parliamentary and constituency duties equally seriously."