Draft:Uniting UK

The campaign was founded in 2020 by Philip Smith{{Cite news |title=Is the tide turning on Irish reunification? |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/ireland-irish-unity-reunification-vote-brexit-b1798350.html |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20240714173352/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/ireland-irish-unity-reunification-vote-brexit-b1798350.html |archive-date=2024-07-14 |access-date=2025-03-07 |work=The Independent |language=en-GB}} and John Hanna{{Cite web |last=Creighton |first=Sarah |date=2021-04-24 |title=A shared Northern Ireland: how people in the North are reimagining life in the UK |url=https://thecurrency.news/articles/44315/a-shared-northern-ireland-how-people-in-the-north-are-reimagining-life-in-the-uk/ |access-date=2025-03-07 |website=The Currency |language=en-US}}. The campaign launched in December 2020{{Cite news |date=2020-12-19 |title=UUP councillor launches group aimed at bolstering NI-UK unity |url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/brexit/uup-councillor-launches-group-aimed-at-bolstering-ni-uk-unity/39879127.html |access-date=2025-03-07 |work=BelfastTelegraph.co.uk |language=en-GB |issn=0307-1235}}. In February 2024, Trevor Ringland joined the campaign team{{Cite web |title=Spokespeople |url=https://us7.campaign-archive.com/domain-proxy?d=unitinguk.com&p=%2Fspokespeople&u=92e169bef31e9f3fe8e67126a |access-date=2025-03-07 |website=unitinguk.com}}.

The campaign has been the subject of a BBC Radio 4 programme{{Cite web |title=BBC Radio 4 - This Union, A Sea Between Us, Episode 3 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000y5fy |access-date=2025-03-07 |website=BBC |language=en-GB}}, taken part in a debate hosted by Féile an Phobail{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_jvtsi2psE |title=Féile An Earraigh 2021 - 100 Years On: Time for Constitutional Change? |date=2021-03-04 |last=Féile An Phobail |access-date=2025-03-07 |via=YouTube}}, presented at conferences{{Cite web |title=Envisioning the Future |url=https://us7.campaign-archive.com/domain-proxy?d=unitinguk.com&p=%2Fenvisioning-the-future&u=92e169bef31e9f3fe8e67126a |access-date=2025-03-12 |website=unitinguk.com}} and contributed to newspaper articles from Japan's Chunichi Shimbun{{Cite web |title=「英国本土から自由に物を運べない」EUに残った北アイルランド 帰属論争再燃も 揺らぐ「連合王国」の枠組み：東京新聞デジタル |url=https://www.tokyo-np.co.jp/article/151333 |access-date=2025-03-07 |website=東京新聞デジタル |language=ja}} to the UK's Financial Times{{Cite news |last=Webber |first=Jude |date=2024-02-10 |title=Northern Ireland unionists and nationalists pledge prosperity for opposite ends |url=https://www.ft.com/content/7a8ad4f6-c0ad-4cf0-9931-070dcf67391a |access-date=2025-03-07 |work=Financial Times}}. Media outlets continue to seek the campaign's perspective as a counterpoint to that of the nationalist and separatist campaign Ireland's Future{{Cite web |last=DeSouza |first=Emma |date=2024-02-07 |title='A United Ireland Border Poll is a Case of When Not If' |url=https://bylinetimes.com/2024/02/07/a-united-ireland-border-poll-is-a-case-of-when-not-if/ |access-date=2025-03-07 |website=Byline Times |language=en-GB}}.

Writing in the Irish Times, Emma DeSouza assessed the campaign's approach: "The pro-union group makes the case for Northern Ireland as an integral component of the United Kingdom and does so with slick graphics and refreshing honesty. Unafraid to acknowledge the failures associated with unionism, and with a clear aim of appealing to the growing middle ground, the fledgling group is effective in its efforts, and a welcome addition to Northern Ireland’s political landscape."{{Cite news |title=Support for Irish unification should be accepted as legitimate position in political discourse |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/support-for-irish-unification-should-be-accepted-as-legitimate-position-in-political-discourse-1.4624960 |access-date=2025-03-07 |newspaper=The Irish Times |language=en}}

The group have two active programmes. The Young Leaders{{Cite web |title=Young Leaders |url=https://us7.campaign-archive.com/domain-proxy?d=unitinguk.com&p=%2Fyoung-leaders&u=92e169bef31e9f3fe8e67126a |access-date=2025-03-12 |website=unitinguk.com}} programme is for young people in Northern Ireland and the Beldon Fellowship{{Cite web |title=Beldon Fellowship |url=https://us7.campaign-archive.com/domain-proxy?d=unitinguk.com&p=%2Fbeldon&u=92e169bef31e9f3fe8e67126a |access-date=2025-03-12 |website=unitinguk.com}} is for young professionals from Northern Ireland who work in national roles across the UK.

In January 2024, the campaign published their 2024-29 corporate strategy{{Cite web |title=Corporate Strategy |url=https://us7.campaign-archive.com/domain-proxy?d=unitinguk.com&p=%2Fcorporate-strategy&u=92e169bef31e9f3fe8e67126a |access-date=2025-03-12 |website=unitinguk.com}}.

The campaign holds that Northern Ireland is economically, socially, and politically better off in the UK. Uniting UK seek to celebrate the diversity of Northern Ireland and the diversity of the United Kingdom.

Since 12 July 2024, the campaign have been calling for "unionist realignment"{{Cite web |date=2024-07-11 |title=Philip Smith: It's time for mainstream unionism to reflect, change and realign |url=https://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/opinion/columnists/philip-smith-its-time-for-mainstream-unionism-to-reflect-change-and-realign-4699782 |access-date=2025-03-07 |website=Belfast News Letter |language=en}}.

The campaign was the first to use the "a Union of people" slogan{{Cite web |title=Facebook |url=https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=216580570257925&set=pb.100069273287956.-2207520000 |access-date=2025-03-12 |website=www.facebook.com}}, which the Ulster Unionist Party later used as a slogan under the leadership of Doug Beattie{{Cite web |title=UUP Live |url=https://www.uup.org/ |access-date=2025-03-07 |website=UUP Live |language=en}} from 2021 to 2024.

The campaign launched a consultation called Vision2031{{Cite web |date=2021-05-04 |title=A positive case for the Union: The best birthday present for Northern Ireland is to secure its long-term future |url=https://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/opinion/a-positive-case-for-the-union-the-best-birthday-present-for-northern-ireland-is-to-secure-its-long-term-future-3223804 |access-date=2025-03-07 |website=Belfast News Letter |language=en}} on 3 May 2021, the 100th anniversary of the creation of Northern Ireland. The campaign's research from the consultation was featured in the News Letter{{Cite web |date=2021-01-25 |title=The case for Northern Ireland’s place in UK should be made in friendly, persistent way |url=https://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/opinion/the-case-for-northern-irelands-place-in-uk-should-be-made-in-friendly-persistent-way-3111403 |access-date=2025-03-12 |website=Belfast News Letter |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2021-01-25 |title=Philip Smith: New research shows that for ‘neithers’, the problem with the Union is unionists |url=https://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/politics/philip-smith-new-research-shows-that-for-neithers-the-problem-with-the-union-is-unionists-3111473 |access-date=2025-03-12 |website=Belfast News Letter |language=en}}.

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