Belfast councillor John Kyle has resigned from the PUP over differing views on the NI Protocol.
Breaking: John Kyle has resigned from the PUP, statement below pic.twitter.com/0WRxOrtuOv
— Allison Morris (@AllisonMorris1) December 16, 2021
This follows his comments on The View that the NI Protocol had opportunities for Northern Ireland.
"There are real opportunities to secure and stabilise Northern Ireland – politically, economically & socially – if we use the opportunities that are presented in a reformed Northern Ireland protocol."
Progressive Unionist Party Cllr John Kyle #BBCTheView pic.twitter.com/M5UJO52M0k
— bbctheview (@bbctheview) November 25, 2021
John Kyle is one of the nicest men in politics. A well-respected GP who gave a lifetime of service to his community.
The PUP website only lists 3 politicians so this move takes out a third of their elected representatives. Dr Kyle has always been an odd fit in the PUP, a party more associated with Loyalist Paramilitaries.
I would predict if he ran as an independent his vote would actually go up as many people would vote for him personally but were put off by the PUP brand. Or we could see him join another party. Doug managed to attract ex PUP councillor Julie-Anne Corr-Johnston to the UUP, could he also woo John? Or might he go to Alliance?
A question for you all. Why has working-class Unionist political representation never taken off?
I help to manage Slugger by taking care of the site as well as running our live events. My background is in business, marketing and IT. My politics tend towards middle-of-the-road pragmatism, I am not a member of any political party. Oddly for a member of the Slugger team, I am not that interested in daily politics, preferring to write about big ideas in society. When not stuck in front of a screen, I am a parkrun Run Director.
