TheVolunteer Political Party (VPP) was aloyalistpolitical party launched inNorthern Ireland on 22 June 1974 by members of theUlster Volunteer Force (UVF).[1] The Chairman wasKen Gibson from EastBelfast, an ex-internee and UVF chief of staff at the time.[2] The success of theUlster Workers Council Strike had shown some UVF leaders the political power they held and they sought to develop this potential further. The UVF had been banned by theGovernment of Northern Ireland in 1966, but was legalised at the same time asSinn Féin by Labour Secretary of StateMerlyn Rees in April 1974 to encourage a political path for Loyalist andrepublican paramilitary groups.
It launched its manifesto "The Volunteer Political Party - a progressive and forward thinking unionist party" at a press conference on 27 September.[3] Influenced by the thinking of theNorthern Ireland Labour Party, it opposed internment without trial and the idea of independence for Northern Ireland and supported a more equitable distribution of resources to deprived parts of the United Kingdom. The party applied to join theUnited Ulster Unionist Council (UUUC) but was rebuffed, with the mainstream unionist parties wary of being linked to paramilitaries.
Ken Gibson contested theWest Belfast seat, which included parts of theShankill district, in theOctober 1974 general election. Despite the security risks, the VPPalso carried out some limited canvassing on the Catholic Falls Road.[4] The VPP claimed to stand for theworking class and an election pamphlet attacked the disgraceful social conditions on the Shankill. In the election, Gibson was supported byGlen Barr ofVanguard,Charles Harding Smith, the leader of the West BelfastUlster Defence Association and the independent Shankill councillorHugh Smyth, who went on to become one of the founders of theProgressive Unionist Party. Standing against the official UUUC candidate,Johnny McQuade of theDemocratic Unionist Party (DUP), they won only 2,690 votes (6%), 14% of the total unionist vote.
Because of this failure, the party was dissolved the following month by a meeting of all UVF commanders. A statement announced; "The low poll for the VPP candidate indicates that the general public does not support the political involvement of the UVF. It would therefore be fruitless to promote the Volunteer Party as a party political machine". Most of its members returned to the UVF (some of whom were later to form theProgressive Unionist Party). The UVF turned back to violence and was banned again by theBritish government on 4 October 1975.