Jim Rodgers has UUP whip withdrawn over Alliance leaflet

Jim Rodgers is a former lord mayor of Belfast

UUP councillor Jim Rodgers has had the whip withdrawn over an election leaflet claiming Alliance had a record of "voting with the Provisional IRA's political wing".

It was distributed by Mr Rodgers and running mate Peter Johnston.

Several UUP councillors who lost their seats in the council election have blamed the leaflet.

Party leader Robin Swann said Mr Rodgers will also face an internal disciplinary panel.

Losing the whip means Mr Rodgers has effectively been removed from the party, until the disciplinary panel decides an outcome.

• UUP criticised over Alliance IRA claim

The leaflet had accused Alliance councillors in Belfast of being "closely aligned with Sinn Féin".

Alliance leader Naomi Long had condemned the leaflet and called for an apology.

At the time, Mr Swann said the leaflet was not a "central UUP message" and had referred the matter for investigation.

Speaking on BBC Radio Ulster's Evening Extra programme on Monday, the UUP leader said he had withdrawn the whip from Mr Rodgers.

"The message, and we said it clear when the leaflet was first brought to my attention, I said it was language that we would not use, that I would not use and it did not help the overall interests of the Ulster Unionist Party," Mr Swann said.

Alliance Party leader Naomi Long welcomed the move, but questioned why it took so long.

"This was first brought to my attention a number of weeks ago, so I'm not sure why it has taken so long for the UUP to act," she said.

"While I cannot comment on the internal processes of another party, it is a welcome move and one that will hopefully end the UUP's obsession in Belfast with spreading myths about Alliance."

Mr Rodgers is a long-standing councillor in Belfast and a former two-time lord mayor.

He retained his seat in the local government elections last week, but Peter Johnston, also standing in the Ormiston area, did not.

On Monday, party colleague Stephen McCarthy, who lost his seat in Antrim and Newtownabbey, told the Belfast Telegraph the leaflet issued by Mr Rodgers had damaged his campaign.

Mr Swann denied that was the case and said the two had not even been standing for election in the same area.

The UUP lost several high-profile councillors in the election, dropping 13 seats overall from 2014 and in particular, losing five councillors in Belfast.