General Election: UUP’s Doug Beattie denies pact with DUP

He said: “People will say that and I will be equally robust to say that nobody has asked us to stand aside at any stage whatsoever. We’ve offered nobody anything. Nobody has offered us anything in regard to any form of a pact.

“This is our decision based on what’s best for the country, the people and the party.”

Explaining the decision not to stand in Belfast North, he said his party no longer had a UUP association in the constituency.

He said that “resources are scarce, people are scarce” and instead the party would focus on the neighbouring South Antrim seat.

The party’s former Health Minister Robin Swann gave up the role to fight the election.

South Antrim is one of four seats which Mr Beattie believes his party has a chance of winning.

The others are Fermanagh-South Tyrone, North Down and Lagan Valley.

North Belfast used to be an Ulster Unionist stronghold. The late Cecil Walker was MP in the constituency for almost two decades in the 1980s and 1990s.

A final list of candidates in the 4 July poll will be published on Friday.