UUP leader Tom Elliott lashes out at ‘Sinn Fein scum’

The embattled leader of the Ulster Unionist Party, Tom Elliott, described Sinn Fein as “scum” after the party won three seats in the Fermanagh/South Tyrone constituency.

Addressing supporters in Omagh, Elliott used the sectarian perjorative and blasted the presence of Irish tricolours as “foreign flags”.

He later refused to withdraw the comment, which was condemned by Sinn Fein’s Gerry Kelly. Mr Kelly also refused to talk about either the Irish flag or the British Union Jack as ‘foreign flags’.

Elliott earlier called for an investigation into how the management of the election count in Omagh after a series of mishaps and two full recounts.

However, the result in Fermanagh/South Tyrone was in little doubt since yesterday evening and marked a significant gain for Sinn Fein, who regained a seat it had lost through a defection as well as adding another.

Elliott, who managed to hold onto his seat in the constituency, has been widely blamed for his party’s poor election performance and is now under pressure to quit.

In East Derry, for example, one of the party’s seats fell to a former member, David McClarty, who had been overlooked as a candidate; and in north Belfast, a very senior party figure, Fred Cobain, embarrassingly lost his seat to the DUP.

With count results still coming in, and with counting completed in a number of constituencies, Sinn Fein remains on target to retain its representation. Although it gained a seat in Fermanagh/South Tyrone from the SDLP, it lost one in Lagan Valley, largely as a result of boundary changes.

Elsewhere, there were relatively few changes, and none at all in many nationalist constituencies.

Although the SDLP were smarting at the loss of their seat in South Antrim to the DUP last night, they were pleased to hold off the Sinn Fein challenge in Foyle, Newry and Armagh, and South Down; and almost won a breakthrough seat in Strangford.

In North Antrim, however, there was widespread dismay when the SDLP’s Declan O’Loan lost his seat to unionist extremist Jim Allister of the TUV after neither reached the quota.

Speaking at a service in Glasnevin Cemetery, Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams said the party had consolidated its vote in the North.

“Our MLAs and Councillors in the north and our Ministers in the Executive, will now join with our enhanced team of TDs and Seanadoiri to form a united, effective all-Ireland republican party dedicated to defending the rights and entitlements of citizens and promoting an end to partition and Irish unity,” Mr Adams said.

Speaking at a Sinn Fein ceremony in Dublin this afternoon to commemorate the death of hunger striker Bobby Sands 30 years ago, he described the 1981 Hunger Strike as ‘a David and Goliath battle’ that changed the shape of politics in Ireland.

He also confirmed that the party would be again nominating Martin McGuinness for the post of Deputy First Minister at Stormont.

ASSEMBLY RESULTS

(Use a fixed font, eg courier, for best results)

Results so far (seats won, first preference vote, and change since 2007) with 89 out of 108 seats filled:

DUP 36 30.0% -0.1% SF 23 26.9% +0.8% SDLP 12 14.2% -1.0% UUP 11 13.2% -1.7% AP 5 7.7% +2.5% TUV 1 2.5% +2.5% Oth. 1 5.4% -2.9%

Results by constituency:

Results are listed here for the parties in terms of seats won so far, first preference votes and their change in first preference vote since 2007.

Note some constituencies have shifted their boundaries, while a number of minor parties such as the UK Unionist Party were not standing on this occasion.

East Antrim (incomplete)

 DUP     3   46.2    +0.7
 UUP     0   16.9    -5
 AP      0   15.5    -0.2
 SF      0   8.2     +4.3
 SDLP    0   4.6     -1.3

Elected: Sammy Wilson - DUP, Alastair Ross - DUP, David Hilditch - DUP,

East Belfast (incomplete)

 DUP     2   44.1    +6.4
 AP      1   26.3    +7.5
 UUP     0   9.7     -12.3
 PUP     0   4.6     -5.7
 SF      0   3.2     -0.4

Elected: Robin Newton - DUP, Peter Robinson - DUP, Judith Cochrane - Alliance

East Derry (Ind.U gain from UUP)

 DUP     3   36.9    -2.9
 SF      1   21.1    +1
 SDLP    1   14.9    +1.9
 UUP     0   8.4     -10
 AP      0   5.5     +1.4
 Ind.U   1   8.6     +8.6

Elected: Gregory Campbell - DUP, John Dallat - SDLP, Adrian McQuillan -- DUP, George Robinson -- DUP, Cathal O’hOisin -- SF, David McClarty -- Ind.U

Fermanagh/South Tyrone (SF gain from SDLP)

 SF      3   40.3    +4
 DUP     2   24.4    -1.1
 UUP     1   19.3    -0.4
 SDLP    0   9.6     -4.4
 AP      0   1.8     +0.6

Elected: Tom Elliott - UUP, Arlene Foster - DUP, Michelle Gildernew - SF, Maurice Morrow - DUP, Sean Lynch - SF, Phil Flanagan - SF

Foyle (no change)

 SDLP    3   35.3    -1.7
 SF      2   34      +3.2
 DUP     1   18.4    +1.5
 AP      0   0.9     +0.3
 UUP     0   0       -4.3

Elected: William Hay - DUP, Martina Anderson - SF, Mark H Durkan - SDLP, Colum Eastwood - SDLP, Raymond McCartney - SF, Pat Ramsey - SDLP

Lagan Valley (DUP gain from SF)

 DUP     4   53.1    +5.1
 UUP     1   20.4    +1.8
 AP      1   12.4    +3.4
 SDLP    0   6.1     -0.7
 SF      0   3.4     -8.8

Elected: Basil McCrea -- UUP, Jonathan Craig -- DUP, Paul Givan -- DUP, Brenda Hale -- DUP, Edwin Poots -- DUP, Trevor Lunn -- Alliance

Mid-Ulster (incomplete)

 SF      1   49.2    +1.6
 DUP     1   16.7    -2.8
 SDLP    0   14.7    -2.8
 UUP     0   10.3    -0.5
 AP      0   0.9     +0.4

Elected: Ian McCrea - DUP, Martin McGuinness - SF

Newry and Armagh (no change)

 SF      3   40.8    -1.2
 SDLP    1   23.5    +3.8
 UUP     1   18.7    +5.6
 DUP     1   13.1    +0.2
 AP      0   1.6     +1

Elected: Danny Kennedy - UUP, William Irwin - DUP, Dominic Bradley - SDLP, Cathal Boylan - SF, Mickey Brady - SF, Conor Murphy - SF

North Antrim (TUV gain from SDLP)

 DUP     3   47.6    -1.4
 SF      1   15.3    -0.7
 UUP     1   11.7    -2.6
 SDLP    0   9.1     -3.1
 AP      0   4.6     +1.8
 TUV     1   10.1    +10.1

Elected: Paul Frew - DUP, Mervyn Storey - DUP, Daithi McKay - SF, David McIlveen - DUP, Jim Allister - TUV, Robin Swann - UUP

North Belfast (DUP gain from UUP)

 DUP     3   37.1    -0.3
 SF      2   31.9    +1.3
 SDLP    1   12      -1.7
 UUP     0   8.2     -0.2
 AP      0   6.3     +4.6

Elected: Nelson McCausland - DUP, Gerry Kelly - SF, Paula Bradley -- DUP, William Humphrey -- DUP, Alban Maginness -- SDLP, Caral Ni Chuilin -- SF

North Down (incomplete)

 DUP     3   44.2    +10.1
 AP      0   18.6    +8.4
 UUP     0   10.4    -13.3
 GRN     0   7.9     -1.4
 SDLP    0   2.7     -0.9
 SF      0   1       -0.2

Elected: Gordon Dunne - DUP, Alex Easton - DUP, Peter Weir - DUP

South Antrim (DUP gain from SDLP)

 DUP     3   38.3    +3.8
 UUP     1   17.8    -2.7
 SF      1   14.5    -2
 AP      1   14.2    +1
 SDLP    0   10.6    -0.5

Elected: Danny Kinahan - UUP, Trevor Clarke - DUP, Paul Girvan - DUP, Pam Lewis - DUP, Mitchel McLaughlin - SF, David Ford - Alliance

South Belfast (no change)

 DUP     1   24.3    +1.9
 SDLP    2   23.9    -2.9
 AP      1   19.8    +7.2
 UUP     1   13.6    -4.8
 SF      1   12.5    -0.7

Elected: Dr Alasdair McDonnell - SDLP, Anna Lo - Alliance, Michael McGimpsey -- UUP, Jimmy Spratt -- DUP, Conall McDevitt -- SDLP, Alex Maskey -- SF

South Down (no change)

 SDLP    2   35.8    +4.4
 SF      2   30.9    +0.2
 DUP     1   12.5    -5.2
 UUP     1   10.6    +0.9
 UKIP    0   5.6     +2.9

Elected: Margaret Ritchie - SDLP, Caitriona Ruane - SF, John McCallister -- UUP, Jim Wells -- DUP, Willie Clarke -- SF, Karen McKevitt - SDLP

Strangford (no change)

 DUP     3   48.8    -1.4
 UUP     2   20.4    +2.3
 AP      1   14.4    +3.1
 SDLP    0   8.5     0
 SF      0   3       0

Elected: Jonathan Bell - DUP, Michelle McIlveen - DUP, Kieran McCarthy - Alliance, Simon Hamilton - DUP, Mike Nesbitt - UUP, David McNarry - UUP

Upper Bann (no change)

 SF      1   27.2    +1.9
 DUP     2   27.1    -4.3
 UUP     2   24.6    +3.4
 SDLP    1   11.4    -1.3
 AP      0   6.5     +4.7

Elected: Jo-Anne Dobson -- UUP, Sam Gardiner -- UUP, Sydney Anderson -- DUP, Stephen Moutray -- DUP, Dolores Kelly -- SDLP, John O’Dowd -- SF

West Belfast (incomplete)

 SF      3   66.1    -3.8
 SDLP    1   13.2    +1
 DUP     0   7.5     -3.4
 PBPA    0   4.8     +2.5
 UUP     0   4.2     +2.6

Elected: Paul Maskey - SF, Jennifer McCann - SF, Fra McCann - SF, Alex Attwood - SDLP,

West Tyrone (incomplete)

 SF      2   50.2    +7.8
 DUP     0   23.1    +2.7
 UUP     0   10.3    +1.9
 SDLP    0   8.6     -5.3
 Ind.    0   5.0     +1.3

Elected: Pat Doherty - SF, Barry McElduff - SF

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