Senior DUP sources have downplayed an email in which Sir Jeffrey Donaldson accused colleagues of briefing against the party and undermining unionism's electoral prospects.
In a message to party members at the weekend, the DUP leader claimed some within his own ranks “manufacture” attacks that he said are “driven more by an effort to gain media coverage or advance their personal agenda than any desire to advance Northern Ireland”.
Confirming deep divisions within the party that have been recently exacerbated by the Windsor Framework, the Lagan Valley MP laments the failure of unionist parties to co-operate but voices hope that next year’s Westminster election will see unionists “not working against each other, but working with each other”.
“It is a point of great frustration when I read a fellow unionist manufacturing an attack on this party or other unionists," he said in an email seen by the Belfast Telegraph.
“I use the term ‘manufacture’, as the attack will lack substance and be driven more by an effort to gain media coverage or advance their personal agenda than any desire to advance Northern Ireland.
“Sadly this applies to some within our own ranks who brief against their own party and damage our electoral prospects and the cause of the union.”
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But the DUP leader insisted the internal dissent "won’t deflect me or our party from the task in hand, which is to restore our place in the UK and prevent our opponents from winning the next election".
He said that in some instances "years of daily gutting each other on the airwaves has had an eroding effect on the pro-union voter".
“Indeed, it drives many pro-union voters to stand back from getting involved in elected politics or voting in elections," his message said.
"This has cost unionism dear and helped pave the way for the success of our opponents."
Sir Jeffrey blamed unionist in-fighting for Sinn Féin's recent electoral success.
“Since becoming DUP leader I have made it my goal to reach out to other unionist parties and groupings to encourage them to work with me and my DUP colleagues to take Northern Ireland in the right direction,” he said.
“It is frustrating that unionism could have had more seats in the last Assembly election if the transfer rate between unionist parties had been better – division costs unionism seats and influence."
In what is clearly a slight against the Alliance Party, the DUP leader says he would "rather have three or four more pro-Union MLAs in Stormont than MLAs who either want to remove Northern Ireland from the UK or who don’t care about the union".
“Whilst some people will quite rightly be taking a well-earned summer holiday, I will be at my desk working to get a solution on the Northern Ireland Protocol and to ensure that, when the next Westminster election arrives, we are not working against each other but working with each other," his message concluded.
The party has made no official comment on the leaked email but a senior DUP source told The Irish News that its contents had been "blown out of proportion".
"The vast majority of Jeffrey's email was about the need to stop bickering between unionist parties and to work towards an agreed goal," the source said.
"Unfortunately, the press chose to pick up on 12 words out of 500 that criticised party members - it was blown out of proportion."
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