A prominent Ulster Unionist last night admitted he was interviewed by a leading loyalist about a job opening for a UDA public relations officer.
South Antrim MP David Burnside revealed that he was offered a public relations role within the UDA by the paramilitary group's former chief Andy Tyrie in the late 1970s.
The revelation has prompted calls for Mr Burnside to step down.
The UDA, the largest loyalist paramilitary organisation, is believed to have been responsible for up to 500 murders since the 1970s.
At its peak in the mid-1970s, the UDA could organise 30,000 members on the streets of Belfast.
Mr Burnside said last night he was approached in 1977 by Andy Tyrie, who he knew from his work in the Vanguard movement, the umbrella group of loyalists and unionist organisations that included the UDA.
"They asked me to come and talk to them and then they asked me to come and help them with their PR.
"I had established a reputation as a press man through working with the international media with Vanguard," he said.
"I was looking at my future career and I had already decided to go to London. I never considered their offer."
Mr Burnside became a press officer for the Institute of Directors
