Development
The UUUC first tested its political credentials in the 1974 general election and the party captured 11 out of 12 Northern Irish seats (7 UUP, 3 VUPP, 1 DUP), whilst the Pro-Assembly Unionists failed to win any seats. In April the group arranged a coalition conference at Portrush during which they agreed a joint policy statement that included an end to power-sharing, elections to a new Assembly that would use proportional representation but with smaller constituencies, the abolition of the Council of Ireland and any concept of cross-border institutions and the removal of the veto held by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.
In the general election of October that same year the UUUC lost West's seat, Fermanagh and South Tyrone, to Frank Maguire, an independent Republican running as an agreed candidate, leaving them with 10 overall. At Westminster the coalition operated under the name of Unionist Parliamentary Coalition with West accepted as leader until his elimination from parliament when Jim Molyneaux took over as coalition chief.
The UUUC remained fairly coherent as it united behind the Ulster Workers Council Strike in mid 1974 and continued for 1975 elections to the Constitutional Convention in which the group won 46 out of the 78 seats.
Read more about this topic: United Ulster Unionist Council
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