THE DEFEATED UUP candidate in North Down has told the BBC this evening that people in Northern Ireland “don’t understand” comments he made about owning and insuring a Rolls Royce. 

Former SAS officer Tim Collins ruffled some feathers during the campaign when he spoke about owning the luxury vehicle, raising it in the context of what he said was price gouging by insurance companies. 

He had said that the insurance he pays on his Rolls Royce in England is the same as what someone would pay for a Ford Fiesta in Northern Ireland. 

As he conceded defeated this evening, Collins was asked what had gone wrong for him. 

Although he said he didn’t know, he suggested it was because he didn’t live in Northern Ireland and that people in the area vote on local issues, like hedges. 

“People in North Down, I think they don’t want somebody that doesn’t live in Northern Ireland,” Collins told BBC News Northern Ireland. 

“They want the homegrown boy, they’re interested in local politics, they’re not interested in cutting VAT, they’re not interested in international affairs. They’re interested in potholes and hedges. “ 

"People in North Down are interested in potholes and hedges" - Col Tim Collins says he believes he is third behind Alex Easton, Independent, and Stephen Farry, Alliance deputy leader, in the race for North Down.https://t.co/yV7E6qGBId pic.twitter.com/vOwH2dODZB

— BBC News NI (@BBCNewsNI) July 4, 2024

Collins said he was “happy” he chose to run and that he had financed the campaign himself. 

Asked about the Rolls Royce comments, he defended making them:

They completely misunderstood, it’s Northern Ireland, they don’t understand these things. The point I was making is, an expensive car is cheaper to insure in England than it is here. People are more able to, out of whatever sort of hubris that exists here in Northern Ireland, they leap on that as opposed to saying, hang on, we’re being taken for a ride. 

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Collins was running in the North Down constituency, which is currently represented by Stephen Farry of the Alliance Party. 

The UUP candidate said that it is early days in the count so far but that it looks like Independent unionist candidate Alex Easton could unseat Farry. 

Easton himself was asked by the BBC about his chances and said he was “quietly optimistic” about winning North Down on his third time running for the seat.

Northern Ireland is not included in the exit poll which predicts gains for Labour across the UK, with the first results from Northern Ireland expected at about 2am.