The Protestant Unionist Party (PUP)Not to be confused with the Progressive Unionist Party. was a unionist

political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular area's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology, ...

operating in

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

from 1966 to 1971. It was the forerunner of the

Democratic Unionist Party The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) is a Unionism in Ireland, unionist, Ulster loyalism, loyalist, British nationalist and national conservative political party in Northern Ireland. It was founded in 1971 during the Troubles by Ian Paisley, who ...

(DUP) and emerged from the Ulster Protestant Action (UPA) movement. It was founded and led by

Ian Paisley Ian Richard Kyle Paisley, Baron Bannside, (6 April 1926 – 12 September 2014) was a loyalist politician and Protestant religious leader from Northern Ireland who served as leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) from 1971 to 2008 and ...

, who also founded and led the

Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster :''Distinct from Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland and Free Church of Scotland (post 1900)'' The Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster is a Calvinist denomination founded by Ian Paisley in 1951. Doctrinally, the church describes itself as Fundam ...

. The UPA had two councillors elected to Belfast Corporation. In 1967, both were re-elected as PUP candidates. The PUP stood six candidates against the ruling

Ulster Unionist Party The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) is a Unionism in Ireland, unionist political party in Northern Ireland. The party was founded as the Ulster Unionist Council in 1905, emerging from the Irish Unionist Alliance in Ulster. Under Edward Carson, it l ...

of the

Northern Ireland parliament The Parliament of Northern Ireland was the home rule legislature of Northern Ireland, created under the Government of Ireland Act 1920, which sat from 7 June 1921 to 30 March 1972, when it was suspended because of its inability to restore or ...

in the January 1969 general election. They polled over 20,000 votes, but gained no seats, although Paisley was seen as coming close in the previously safe Bannside seat of the

Prime Minister of Northern Ireland The prime minister of Northern Ireland was the head of the Government of Northern Ireland (1921–1972), Government of Northern Ireland between 1921 and 1972. No such office was provided for in the Government of Ireland Act 1920; however, the L ...

Terence O'Neill Terence Marne O'Neill, Baron O'Neill of the Maine, Privy Council of Northern Ireland, PC (NI) (10 September 1914 – 12 June 1990), was the fourth Prime Minister of Northern Ireland and leader (1963–1969) of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP). ...

. When

(the then Northern Irish

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

) stood down from Stormont in 1970 along with one of his colleagues, the PUP nominated candidates for the two vacant seats. Both were successful. Ian Paisley and fellow Free Presbyterian minister, the Rev. William Beattie, PUP leader and deputy respectively, were elected - Paisley for Bannside and Beattie for South Antrim. In that year's Westminster general election, Paisley was elected to represent Antrim North in the British House of Commons. The PUP campaigned for the retention of the Union and for total freedom for Orange parades. The PUP was wound up in 1971 and re-emerged as the DUP in October of that year. The electoral label Protestant Unionist was subsequently used in the 1980s by

Belfast City Council Belfast City Council () is the Local government in Northern Ireland, local authority with responsibility for part of Belfast, the largest city of Northern Ireland. The council serves an estimated population of (), the largest of any district c ...

member George Seawright after he left the DUP.

References

{{Authority control 1966 establishments in Northern Ireland Christian political parties in the United Kingdom Conservative parties in Ireland Defunct political parties in Northern Ireland Political parties disestablished in 1971 Political parties established in 1966 Protestant political parties Protestantism in the United Kingdom Ulster unionist organisations