THE Ulster Unionist’s Tom Elliott has vowed to remain in politics despite losing his Westminster seat to Sinn Fein’s Michele Gildernew in last week’s snap election.

Ms. Gildernew picked up 25,230 votes, 875 more than Mr. Elliott who in 2015 won the hotly contested Fermanagh-south Tyrone seat by more than 500 votes.

READ: Sinn Fein's Michelle Gildernew wins Fermanagh-south Tyrone seat

“I don’t really have a lot to say,” Mr. Elliott told The Impartial Reporter this week.

“The Sinn Fein representative got more votes than I did and won. I am realistic enough to know that politics is uncertain, unstable, I accept that. I accept that Michelle Gildernew won,” he said.

Mr. Elliott said he felt “disappointed” for the people of Fermanagh-south Tyrone.

“I am saddened that they will not be represented at Westminster but that’s how the vote went.”

He described his two years in London as rewarding “not just for me but the constituency” explaining that he helped to secure further education projects for South West College, facilitated organisations such as South East Fermanagh Foundation and St. Fanchea’s College and secured visits from the Brexit Minister of State Robin Walker and Secretary of State James Brokenshire.

“Life goes on so Tom Elliott’s life will hopefully go on. I’ll remain involved in the local political field but whether that’s in an elected position or not that will be something for well into the future,” said Mr. Elliott.

His loss in the early hours of Friday morning left one former MP feeling “almost sick.”

Ken Maginnis, who quit the Ulster Unionists in 2012, knows what defeat is like having lost his seat to Ms. Gildernew in 2001 after 18 years.

“I am sad. In Tom Elliott we had a very able and very honest individual. I think we will be so much worse off. I really cannot believe the people who voted for me and consistently increased my majority were as gullible as they appear to be. It made me feel almost sick,” he said.

He said he could not “understand the mentality of people who will vote to in many ways sacrifice the future of their children and their children’s children".

“Nobody on a day to day basis will now know Fermanagh-south Tyrone even exists,” he warned.

Those who worked on Mr. Elliott’s campaign have spent the weekend lying low with one canvasser describing the mood within the camp as sombre.

“It’s like a wake, we knew it was going to be close but it still hurts. At the end of the day, Sinn Fein had the numbers,” said one party source.

“I feel so gutted for him, he should have won,” said another.

The results of this election across Northern Ireland were in part driven by the results of March`s Assembly election, believes Ulster Unionist Councillor Diana Armstrong.

“It was a direct reaction to Sinn Fein's hubris following the results of that election. In the same way that the nationalist electorate were energised in March the unionist electorate decided that they wanted to send a message to Sinn Fein and came out in large numbers to vote, mostly for the larger unionist party,” she said.

Mrs. Armstrong, whose father Harry West was a former MP for Fermanagh-south Tyrone and unionist leader, added: “We have been here before and we will come back again.”

David Roe, who campaigned for Mr. Elliott, said the effort by his colleagues during the election “was fantastic.”

“Tom is a respected senior figure in Unionism. I don’t think I heard a single negative comment about him on the doors though perhaps we need to start knocking more non traditional unionist doors to sell the benefit of representation,” he said.

Traditional Unionist Voice’s Alex Elliott believes Mr. Elliott’s defeat is “confirmation of a swing towards Republican ideology” in Fermanagh-south Tyrone.

“Unionism remains confident of the Union link despite the ‘greening’ of the west of the province. Many Nationalists are proud of their Irish identity but are very much favoured to a British way of life through health and welfare benefits which outstrip those in the Republic.

“While we have been down this road before with Gildernew, the real loss especially for Fermanagh-south Tyrone will be the neglect to constituents in Sinn Fein controlled constituencies,” he said.

Kenny Donaldson of Lisnaskea based victims group South East Fermanagh Foundation believes the area has now been “balkanised” with Sinn Fein “effectively controlling” the rural west.

“If the Queen’s shilling is good enough for them to take then it should be good enough for them to go do the job that they have sought,” he said.
While Raymond Ferguson, a former Unionist councillor, is sorry to see Mr. Elliott go, he said he was “not surprised by the result.”

“You can’t beat the numbers,” he said, adding that he believes the area will now be without a voice.

“Tom Elliott was a very good constituency MP, he had a very good office and ran a very good service to the entire community. Michelle Gildernew didn’t do anything to change the political scene in those 14 years and I don’t see her doing anything now,” he said.