David Trimble's Leadership
Rev. Smyth ran for the leadership of the UUP in 1995 after James Molyneaux stood down, but lost to David Trimble. He was opposed to the Good Friday Agreement, however was considered a moderate in the early 1990s, being condemned in 1993 by the Democratic Unionist Party for suggesting that talks with Sinn Féin might be possible. He challenged David Trimble for the party leadership in 2000, and was again unsuccessful. He was unsuccessfully challenged for the UUP nomination in Belfast South by Michael McGimpsey before the 2001 General Election, and went on to hold the seat. In 2001 he was elected to the position of President of the party. In 2003, he, along with David Burnside and Jeffrey Donaldson, resigned the party whip due to disagreements over the British Irish Declaration of 2003. He attempted to dissuade Donaldson from resigning from the party entirely. In January 2004, Smyth and Burnside retook the UUP whip. Later that year he lost the party Presidency in the annual election at the Ulster Unionist Council, polling 329 votes to Lord Rogan who won with 407 votes. The same meeting saw an unsuccessful challenge to Trimble's leadership.
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