NORTH Down MLA Alex Easton is poised to end months of speculation and announce he will be standing in the general election.
The Spectator understands the independent unionist will announce his candidacy at a special press conference next Tuesday evening.
Easton is staying tight-lipped about his decision in advance of the official announcement but he is known to have come under significant pressure to challenge sitting MP, Stephen Farry, for the North Down parliamentary seat.
Despite strong appeals from organisations such as the Orange Order for a united Unionist candidate to take on Farry, the decision by the Ulster Unionists to field Col. Tim Collins in the constituency and Easton adding his name to the ballot paper means the unionist vote will be split. While it is believed the DUP will not be running a candidate, it is not yet known if the TUV will stand aside.
Easton’s decision to stand again is in stark contrast to his pledge when he lost out to Farry in the 2019 Westminster election that he would never again stand in a general election. However, five years later, and having left the DUP to plough an independent furrow, Easton has decided to fight his fourth general election having come runner up three times – once to Farry and twice to Lady Sylvia Hermon.
Sources close to Easton have indicated he believes that not being tied to any political parties frees him to fight the campaign on issues he believes are important to North Down without the need to follow the party line.
Easton is seeking to overturn an Alliance majority of 2,968 after Farry hoovered up many of Sylvia Hermon’s soft-u Unionist voters in the 2019 poll. Easton will be hoping that many of those voters will desert Farry for him or possibly return to the UUP and vote for Collins.
INSIDE: Alex Kane on why small-u Unionists will decide election in North Down.
