Jenny Palmer: Former DUP councillor joins Ulster Unionist Party

John and Jenny Palmer with Ulster Unionist leader Mike Nesbitt

A former DUP councillor who quit the party after claiming she had been bullied has joined the Ulster Unionists along with her husband.

In a joint statement, Jenny and John Palmer said it was like returning to the family home.

Jenny Palmer told BBC Spotlight she had been ordered by a DUP special adviser to change the way she intended to vote at a Housing Executive Board meeting.

A Stormont committee inquiry widened the gulf between her and the party.

She left the DUP ahead of an internal disciplinary hearing.

She and her husband, John, who's also a Lisburn councillor, say the Ulster Unionists leaving the executive was the factor in the decision to re-join the party.

UUP leader Mike Nesbitt said there could be more like her.

"They were previously members of the party, they're very, very welcome back and let me say so are others," he said.

"We know there are others out there who are now looking to the Ulster Unionist Party as the way forward, because we have momentum, we have belief in ourselves and we have credibility with the electorate that we did not previously have."

He added: "Politics is a rough and tumble game, we know that, but what Jenny, in particular, was subjected to by members of the DUP was way, way beyond the pale."

'UUP spin'

In their statement, Mr and Mrs Palmer said they were looking forward to a "new beginning in politics".

"Something that was an important factor in our decision was the courage shown by the Ulster Unionist Party," they added. They have led by example during what is a shocking state of affairs.

"We look forward to playing our part in the Ulster Unionist team."

Mrs Palmer told BBC Radio Ulster's Talkback programme that it was Mr Nesbitt's decision for the UUP to leave the Executive that made up the couple's minds.

"Mike Nesbitt's announcement about walking away from the Executive I think was the trigger for saying well this is healthy, this is something I think that most people in Northern Ireland who have had so many years of it not working at Stormont would agree with," she said.

"It was personally then that we decided that's the party we want to go to."

Relations between the two main unionists parties appear to be rapidly worsening.

This development will rub further salt in the wounds.

In a statement, the DUP said: "This move has been expected for some time. The Palmers are in the right place as they've been working with the UUP long before today.

"The timing of this announcement is further evidence that the UUP's actions in recent days are entirely about positioning the party for an election.

"The unionist people want substance rather than UUP spin. They want responsible leadership rather than UUP stuntary."