DUP conference: Gavin Robinson says opponents prosper with divided unionism

The leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) has told his annual conference “when unionism is divided, our opponents prosper”.

Gavin Robinson acknowledged that the Northern Ireland Assembly was “far from perfect”, but dismissed suggestions that people would be “better off with Starmer than with Stormont”.

The conference, which started on Saturday morning, is his second both as DUP leader and since devolution was restored in 2024, following a two-year hiatus.

The DUP had been blocking the institutions in protest over post-Brexit trade rules, but ended its boycott after a deal with the UK government.

The DUP now shares power at Stormont with the Irish republican party Sinn Féin, the Alliance Party and the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP).

But it has come under pressure in recent elections from smaller rivals, including the Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV).

In his speech on Saturday, Robinson renewed his calls for greater co-operation between unionist parties.

The East Belfast MP said that “no party or personality should ever trump our shared strategic aims”.

“Under my leadership, we will be strong, but we will not be selfish,” he added.

The DUP conference, which is being held in a hotel just outside Belfast, is the first since Michelle McIlveen became the party’s deputy leader.

On Saturday morning, members of a high-profile evangelical Christian family protested outside the conference.

On Friday night, Martina Burke and her son Josiah confronted Education Minister Paul Givan and accused him of promoting LBGT rights in schools. They did the same thing to the Education Authority chairman, Mervyn Storey, last month.

Robinson expressed support for being part of Northern Ireland’s devolved government, saying “things happen” when DUP ministers hold office.

“Those who argue we would be better off with Starmer than with Stormont cannot point to a single area, or a single policy, where it would be better without devolution,” he said.

The DUP leader also argued that his party stands for “fairness” and “common sense”.

“For policies rooted in reality, not in radical ideology,” he said.

The DUP was previously the largest party in Northern Ireland at Stormont, Westminster and in local councils.

But it has been overtaken in recent elections by Sinn Féin, with the party last year taking up the first minister post in the Northern Ireland Executive for the first time.

By Gareth Gordon, BBC News NI political correspondent

Time after time, the same themes came up during the conference speeches.

Attacks on Sinn Féin. Check.

Attacks on the TUV and Alliance. Check.

The DUP was the party of “common sense”. Check.

And devolution good, any other form of government bad.

Or as DUP figure after DUP figure put it “Stormont not Starmer”.

That is aimed as those within and without.

There will be no repeat of the two-year Stormont boycott over the protocol which somehow takes the edge off the constant attacks on Sinn Féin.

There were also the usual calls for unionist unity to maximise unionist seats at the next assembly election in 2027.

Problem with that is one of the parties it is aimed at – the TUV – would happily bring Stormont down tomorrow, and that is the last thing on Robinson’s agenda.

Read the live coverage of Robinson’s speech here.