THE Ulster Unionist Party is to open an office in London to advance the unionist case in Britain.
The Unionist Information Office is being established with the assistance of a public relations consultant, Mr David Burnside.
Mr Burnside, a UUP member, said yesterday the office was being set up because the Northern Ireland Office was failing to represent the unionist position in Britain. The new office will be open to other unionists including DUP members and Tory unionists, he added and will be opened within the next eight weeks.
While the unionist case was now being better reflected in the British media, the party leader, Mr David Trimble, and senior party officers wanted to widen their support.
"This is to promote the Ulster unionist cause in all markets on the mainland," he said in Belfast, where details of the initiative were announced. The party already has an office in Washington.
Mr Burnside said the nationalist position was being well argued in Britain through the Irish Embassy in London and unionists had to do more to advance their case.
Meanwhile, the UUP has rejected a Sinn Fein request for a meeting to discuss the current political situation.
