Editing David Burnside (section)

==Return to politics==

Along with several prominent current Ulster Unionist politicians, Burnside was a member of the Vanguard Movement. He was press officer for the organisation from 1974 to 1977.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/jul/07/ballymoney-trail-david-burnside-troubles-loyalist-tories-pr-fixer|title=The Ballymoney trail: David Burnside's voyage from Troubles to oligarchs' PR|date=7 July 2014|website=the Guardian}}</ref>
 
He was selected to defend the [[South Antrim (UK Parliament constituency)|South Antrim]] constituency for the Ulster Unionists in a by-election in 2000, but narrowly lost to the [[Democratic Unionist Party]] candidate Rev. [[William McCrea, Baron McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown|Willie McCrea]].

However he reversed this defeat in the [[2001 United Kingdom general election|2001 general election]]. Along with [[Jeffrey Donaldson]] (MP) and the Rev. [[Martin Smyth]] (MP), Burnside became an outspoken critic of his party leader, [[David Trimble]]'s support for the [[Good Friday Agreement]], arguing that the [[Provisional IRA]]'s slow pace of decommissioning its arms meant that [[Sinn Féin]], the political wing of the IRA, should not be allowed to serve in the power-sharing government.

On 23 June 2003, Burnside, Donaldson and Smyth resigned the UUP whip in the House of Commons, launching a strong attack on Trimble's leadership.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/3021536.stm "UUP rebels to face discipline"], BBC News, 26 June 2003.</ref> The trio successfully fought off attempts to discipline them using the courts and in November 2003 both Burnside and Donaldson were elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly. However, Burnside declined to follow Donaldson when he resigned from the Ulster Unionist Party in December 2003. In 2005 he lost his Westminster Parliamentary seat. Burnside successfully retained his Assembly seat in March 2007. He declined to contest the [[2005 Ulster Unionist Party leadership election|2005 leadership election]].

Burnside resigned as an Assembly Member in June 2009 to concentrate on his business interests. His seat was taken by Antrim councillor [[Danny Kinahan]].

David Burnside was revealed to have taken a group of prominent Russians, including a close ally of Vladimir Putin, to the 2013 Conservative summer fundraising party and introduced them to David Cameron.<ref name="auto"/>