Conservative leader David Cameron today marked a new alliance with the Ulster Unionist Party by expressing his enthusiasm for a "shared future".

Mr Cameron received a rapturous reception as the keynote speaker at the Unionists' annual conference in Belfast.

The two parties have agreed to field candidates in Northern Ireland under a joint ticket - which the opposition leader described as "dynamic political force" for the good of the people in the United Kingdom.

Mr Cameron told the the 700-strong conference he wanted the most talented people from all corners of the UK to join his future government and said it was time Northern Ireland was brought back in to "mainstream British politics".

He insisted he had never been a “little Englander” and wanted to build Conservatism across the UK.

“I passionately believe in the Union and the future of the whole United Kingdom," he said.

“Northern Ireland has made great strides forward over the past fifteen years," he told the conference.

“The paramilitary campaigns have ended. New investment has come in. Devolution has been restored. For the first time in over a generation we can all look forward to a shared future underpinned by democracy and the rule of law.

“As Prime Minister I will always honour Britain’s international obligations. I will continue to work closely and constructively with our nearest neighbours in the Republic of Ireland and I will always uphold the democratic wishes of people here in respect of their constitutional future.

"But I will never be neutral when it comes to expressing my support for the Union. So, today, let us pledge ourselves to come together as Conservatives and Unionists in a new and dynamic political force in Northern Ireland.

“For the good of our parties. But, above all, for the good of the people and our United Kingdom.”

Mr Cameron said the move to join forces with the UUP was not a "matter of political calculation" but a reflection of an "unbreakable bonds" forged over many years.

He echoed the words of Peter Brooke, Northern Ireland Secretary in 1990, who said the then government had "no selfish strategic interest" in the country.

Jim Nicholson, a UUP MEP, will be the first to stand on the joint ticket in the European elections next June and the parties intend to fight the next Westminster election together.

Mr Cameron said of the new union: “It’s in my own selfish and strategic interests, too.

“I want the most talented people to form my government and that will mean people from all corners of the UK.

“Why are there great Ulstermen and women on our television screens, in our boardrooms and in our military but not in our Cabinet? The semi-detached status of Northern Ireland politics needs to end.

“It’s time for Northern Ireland to be brought back into the mainstream of British politics. Northern Ireland needs MPs who have a real prospect of holding office as ministers in a Westminster government.

“That’s what a dynamic new political force of Conservatives and Unionists offers, a revival of real democracy across the United Kingdom.”

He said a new future could be built on campaigning on issues of importance to all people such as keeping taxes low, restraining government borrowing and helping businesses through the credit crunch.

UUP leader Sir Reg Empey told the conference: “Our Party has taken the significant step of restoring Unionism’s historic relationship with the Conservative Party. It is a relationship that is about much more than mere party politics. It is a constitutional statement.

“It declares and demonstrates that Northern Ireland is not a place apart - not an internal colony. It is an outward and visible sign of Northern Ireland's rightful place within the United Kingdom."

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