Gavin Robinson has pledged to drive change within the DUP in an attempt to arrest the party’s flagging fortunes.
Making his first conference speech since becoming party leader in May, the East Belfast MP also signalled that he will explore the potential for unionist unity in a manner that “will prove more productive than what went before”.
Saturday’s DUP conference in Belfast came nearly six months since Sir Jeffrey Donaldson resigned as DUP leader amid accusations of historical sex abuse and some 11 weeks after the party lost three of its eight MPs in the Westminster election.
Around 200 members gathered at the Crowne Plaza hotel for what was a relatively brief and low key event.
Despite recent setbacks, Mr Robinson said he was “optimistic for the future”.
He described the past six months as “difficult and challenging” but said the conference offered a “time to reflect”.
The DUP leader said that over the coming months he would be “active in listening” under what he characterised as a “new approach under my leadership”.
“I am determined that in the remaining months of 2024 you will see that with a new leader there will be a new approach, both internally and externally, as to how we do our business which will be people-centred and focused on getting outcomes that better the lives of all our people,” he said.
“Although the next electoral test is some two and a half years away, we must use the season ahead wisely – what we plant now, we must be ready to harvest, not for ourselves, but for Northern Ireland.”
In an allusion to his predecessor’s arrest in March, Mr Robinson said the message of Easter gave a reminder “that the darkness of Good Friday has passed – we won’t live in the shadows of yesterday but walk in the light of today and for the hope of tomorrow”.
He said nobody questioned the wisdom of restoring the Stormont institutions in February. The DUP leader said the party’s decision was taken “on the basis of progress achieved” and because “it wasn’t possible to secure more with a government in its dying days”.
Mr Robinson said Labour’s “historic majority” gave the administration the “strength and space to make significant and strategic change across the UK”.
However, highlighting the cut in the winter fuel payment and the controversy around City Deals, he said the British government’s strength “won’t always be used for good”.
He said Mr Benn had supported the Tories’ Safeguarding the Union command paper when in opposition and that the Labour administration now had a “responsibility to deliver” on its commitments.
The East Belfast MP said the DUP would “continue to fight to fully restore Northern Ireland’s place within the United Kingdom”, which included the application of EU law.
“Resetting relationships with the EU is laudable in itself but it cannot be an excuse for causing harm within our own country or a substitute for taking no action on the ongoing issues of concern,” he said.
Mr Robinson said the DUP would vote against retaining the post-Brexit trading arrangements in a forthcoming assembly vote and he expected all pro-union parties to do likewise.
The DUP leader paid tribute to the party’s ministers and its assembly team.
He voiced support for Jon Boutcher’s call for greater PSNI resources and criticised the manner in which the chief constable was “slapped down” for engaging directly with the prime minister.
Mr Robinson said the “stain of on-street violence” over summer had highlighted how strained police resources were.
He said the “spill-over of tensions” in the wake of the Southport murders were “unwelcome and they were wrong”.
“When engaged in violence, you lose the right to raise concerns,” he said.
The DUP leader said he had already outlined his plans to “advance as a party” to MPs and MLAs.
He said structurally, he would be “driving change on how we operate and support one another”.
“With your support, I will continue to build and re-new our party, our structures and our purpose.”
