Chairman of the Northern Ireland Conservatives, Irwin Armstrong, attended his first meeting of the national Party Board, at Conservative Campaign Headquarters (CCHQ) in London on Monday.
“I received a marvellous welcome and we had some very constructive discussions”, Irwin said. “During the meeting co-chair of the UK party, Lord Feldman, reiterated CCHQ's commitment to growing the new Conservative party here in Northern Ireland, while I was able to update board members on the work which members have been doing on the ground, ahead of our launch.”
“This was the first time that the party in every part of the UK has been represented at the Party Board. It was particularly useful to discuss the experiences of the Conservative Party in Scotland and Wales, with my Scottish and Welsh counterparts. This is a very important day for Conservatives in Northern Ireland, who now have an influence on the UK party's governance at the very highest level.”
Conservative Party co-chair, Baroness Warsi, warmly welcomed Irwin to the Board.
"It's great to have Irwin representing the Conservative and Unionist Party of Northern Ireland at our board meeting. His presence reaffirms the fact that Conservatives are the only genuinely national party in the UK and are fully committed to offering voters across the country a meaningful voice in Westminster politics."
"I plan to visit Northern Ireland soon and I look forward to seeing how the new party's plans are developing. It's an exciting time for Conservatives in Northern Ireland and Irwin's presence today is a significant milestone in the development of the new, centre-right party."