A Conservative Westminster candidate has described the DUP launching its manifesto in front of a London bus as “welcome acknowledgement that it is Conservatives, including Boris Johnson, who have driven the economic recovery in Northern Ireland”. Alan Dunlop, who is standing for election in South Antrim, where Wrightbus has a chassis plant for the iconic Routemaster bus, said it was a “highly appropriate piece of imagery.”
“I can only congratulate the DUP on choosing an icon of the UK’s economic recovery as the backdrop for their manifesto launch, even if its presence is a little ironic”, Alan continued. “The Routemaster, or ‘Boris bus’, as it is often known, is associated closely with the Conservatives’ economic plan, which has turned around the economy, created a jobs boom and given people right across the UK the prospect of a prosperous future. There could be no better choice to highlight the differences between the Conservative Party’s record of delivery and the failure of the parties at Stormont, including the DUP.”
“The Routemaster, constructed by Wrightbus, is also a reminder of how much Northern Ireland can contribute to the UK economy, if businesses are given the tools to succeed. The company has a record of innovation and investment, which can inspire other home grown firms. We have some excellent businesses in Northern Ireland, but we don’t yet have enough of them. The key to encouraging more is business friendly government, less red tape, simplified employment and planning laws and a culture of entrepreneurship. These are things which the Conservative Party understands, but which the parties at Stormont have not yet grasped.”