Editing Ulster Unionist Party (section)

===Elliott leadership===
Following the election, Empey resigned as leader. He was replaced by [[Tom Elliott (politician)|Tom Elliott]] as party leader in the subsequent [[2010 Ulster Unionist Party leadership election|leadership election]]. During the leadership election, it emerged that a quarter of the UUP membership came from [[Fermanagh and South Tyrone (UK Parliament constituency)|Fermanagh and South Tyrone]], the constituency of Elliott.<ref>{{cite news |title=Legal threat to the UUP leadership race ebbs |url=http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/politics/legal-threat-to-the-uup-leadership-race-ebbs-28559410.html |access-date=16 January 2015 |work=Belfast Telegraph |date=17 September 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150705112408/http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/politics/legal-threat-to-the-uup-leadership-race-ebbs-28559410.html |archive-date=5 July 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref> The Dublin-based political magazine, ''[[The Phoenix (magazine)|the Phoenix]]'', described Elliott as a "blast from the past" and said that his election signified "a significant shift to the right" by the UUP.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.thephoenix.ie/phoenix/subscriber/library/volume-28/issue-25/contents.pdf|title=Phoenix Magazine – Subscriber – Login}}</ref> Shortly after his election, three 2010 general election candidates resigned: Harry Hamilton, Paula Bradshaw and [[Trevor Ringland]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/troubled-backdrop-to-uup-conference-1-2360885|title=Troubled backdrop to UUP conference|website=www.newsletter.co.uk|access-date=19 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190819232923/https://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/troubled-backdrop-to-uup-conference-1-2360885|archive-date=19 August 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> Bradshaw and Hamilton subsequently joined the Alliance Party.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-12189278 | work=BBC News | title=Queen tribute singer Harry Hamilton with Alliance Party | date=14 January 2011 | access-date=20 June 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180104053022/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-12189278 | archive-date=4 January 2018 | url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:Strandtown Hall, 2-4 Belmont Road, Belfast.jpg|thumb|UUP Headquarters – Strandtown Hall, Belfast]]
The party lost two seats in the [[2011 Northern Ireland Assembly election|2011 Assembly elections]] and won fewer votes than the nationalist [[Social Democratic and Labour Party]] (SDLP) (although it won more seats than the SDLP). Two of its candidates, Bill Manwaring and Lesley Macaulay, subsequently joined the Conservative Party. In the [[2011 Northern Ireland local elections|2011 local elections]] it lost seats to the Alliance Party east of the Bann and was also overtaken by them on Belfast City Council.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ark.ac.uk/elections/flg11.htm|title=The 2011 Local Government Elections in Northern Ireland|work=Ark – Northern Ireland Elections|access-date=27 December 2022}}</ref>

[[Tom Elliott (politician)|Tom Elliott]] was criticised for comments he made in his victory speech where he described elements of Sinn Féin as "scum".<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2011/0507/breaking1.html | newspaper=The Irish Times | title=DUP and Sinn Féin top polls in NI Assembly elections | date=5 May 2011 | access-date=8 May 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111103011923/http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2011/0507/breaking1.html | archive-date=3 November 2011 | url-status=live }}</ref> Elliott resigned in March 2012 saying some people had not given him a 'fair opportunity' to develop and progress many party initiatives.<ref>{{cite news | last = Purdy | first = Martina | title = UUP leader Tom Elliott quitting as party leader | work = [[BBC News Online]] | date = 9 March 2012 | url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-17306313 | access-date = 11 January 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170308090558/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-17306313 | archive-date = 8 March 2017 | url-status = live }}</ref> [[Mike Nesbitt]] was elected leader on 31 March 2012, beating [[John McCallister]], by 536 votes to 129.<ref>{{cite news | title = Mike Nesbitt is new Ulster Unionist leader | work = [[BBC News Online]] | date = 31 March 2012 | url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-17572015 | access-date = 11 January 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160131152755/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-17572015 | archive-date = 31 January 2016 | url-status = live }}</ref>