McGimpsey not standing in Belfast

Michael McGimpsey contested the seat in the last General Election

The health minister has ruled himself out from standing as an Ulster Unionist candidate in South Belfast in next year's Westminster election.

Michael McGimpsey contested the seat in the last General Election.

But he now says he feels he can best serve his constituents by continuing his work at the Health Department.

It is understood two Ulster Unionists, community worker Paula Bradshaw and councillor Michael Henderson, have put their names in for the candidacy.

They will now have to compete with the Conservative Peter McCann for the joint Conservative and Unionist nomination.

The Conservative Party and the Ulster Unionists decided in March to fight Northern Ireland elections on a joint ticket and under a new name - 'Ulster Conservatives and Unionists - New Force' (UCUNF).

The South Belfast seat is held by the SDLP's Alasdair McDonnell, who polled 10,339 in the 2005 election.

He took over from the UUP's Rev Martin Smyth, after the split unionist vote gave the seat to a nationalist politician for the first time. Dr McDonnell's victory was seen as a major upset for the UUP.

BBC Northern Ireland political editor Mark Devenport said a number of factors could be behind Mr McGimpsey's decision not to stand.

"Mr McGimpsey hasn't openly objected to the UUP's election pact with the Conservatives, but it was often thought he was more to the left of the political spectrum and it's unclear if he would have wanted to take the Conservative whip," he said.

"There's also the emphasis against double-jobbing by local politicians - he wouldn't want to give up his job as Stormont health minister but it would be difficult to campaign while promising to quit as minister if elected to Westminster.

"Ultimately, there's the question of who is going to win the seat. In the last general election, Mr McGimpsey came third behind the SDLP and the DUP - with no sign of any unionist pact, he might not have been confident of success."

In a statement on Tuesday, Mr McGimpsey said that he felt he could best serve "continuing to work as Minister for Health, making decisions that not only help those most vulnerable in our society but also influencing decisions here at the heart of our Executive".

"Since May 2007, the Ulster Unionist Party has demonstrated that we can deliver many improvements in health and social care.

"However, there is much more still to be achieved and I want to ensure that improvements are delivered for the benefit of all in the months ahead."