UUP leader Doug Beattie has insisted there will be no united Ireland for generations as he accused rivals of using Brexit's Protocol as an "election slogan". Launching his party manifesto ahead of May's Assembly elections, Mr Beattie said he believes there will be no constitutional change during his lifetime or the lifetime of his children.
He said problems with the Northern Ireland Protocol need resolved but uncertainty over the fate of the contentious trading barriers would not prevent his party re-entering government post-election. Making his pitch to voters, the Upper Bann representative described the UUP as a pro-Union party that will "do more than just say no".
The Stormont Executive collapsed in February when the DUP pulled Paul Givan out of the First Minister post in protest over the protocol. The DUP has since warned it will not return to power-sharing until its complaints about Irish Sea checks on goods are addressed.
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Mr Beattie has faced criticism from other unionist parties for his decision to withdraw the UUP from attending divisive loyalist rallies against the protocol. The party leader, whose office in Portadown was vandalised after he announced the move on Sunday (March 27), has claimed the demonstrations are being used to raise tensions ahead of the election.
Speaking at the UUP manifesto launch, Mr Beattie said: "Regardless of what others are saying, there will be no fundamental change to the constitutional position of Northern Ireland within the United Kingdom. Issues around the protocol can and will be dealt with.
"So, instead of using the protocol as an election slogan, let's get to work, real work, to get the issues dealt with. There will be no united Ireland in my lifetime, there will be no united Ireland in my children's lifetime.
"If you believe that as a fundamental truth, and I believe that as a fundamental truth, then we can set it aside in order to concentrate on the issues affecting the daily lives of our people who live here, work here or visit here. So, I make an appeal to all of those who believe in Northern Ireland, in its long-term future within the United Kingdom, to put their shoulder to the wheel, to raise your voices and promote the positives while we work together to deal with the negatives.
"We need to show our young people that coming out to vote gives them a voice and it is part of their civic duty. And we all need to understand civic duty - that includes those who are disaffected, those who are disenfranchised from politics - to see that there is a party, a pro-Union party that will do more than just say no, when we have a positive vision for the future, because Northern Ireland deserves better and the Ulster Unionist Party are that party."
First World War battleship turned visitor attraction HMS Caroline provided a striking backdrop for the manifesto launch event in East Belfast on Thursday morning. On a bitingly cold spring day, Mr Beattie addressed an audience of party activists and press while other UUP election candidates were seated behind him.
The Ulster Unionist leader again failed to be drawn on whether his party would, in principle, serve as Deputy First Minister in an administration with a Sinn Féin First Minister. Both the UUP and DUP have repeatedly refused to confirm whether they would take the post of Deputy First Minister if Sinn Féin emerges as the largest party and is entitled to the First Minister post.
Mr Beattie insisted the UUP would only determine its approach to serving in an Executive after post-election negotiations on what a potential programme for government might look like.
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