COMMUNISTS accused Northern Ireland’s biggest parties of “sectarian point-scoring” yesterday after Tuesday night’s debate before the British general election got dirty.

During the BBC Northern Ireland debate, Sinn Fein MLA John O’Dowd attacked Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) MP Sir Jeffrey Donaldson over paramilitary endorsement for his party.

On Monday the Loyalist Communities Council (LCC), an umbrella group for the paramilitary Ulster Defence Association (UDA), Ulster Volunteer Force and Red Hand Commando, urged voters to back DUP and Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) candidates in four battleground constituencies.

The council also heavily criticised the cross-community Alliance Party, warning unionists that voting for it would drive a “nail into the coffin of the [UK] union.”

“The DUP use the UDA for elections, the UDA use the DUP in government,” Mr O’Dowd said.

Sir Jeffrey shot back that Sean Kelly — who killed nine civilians and a fellow IRA man in the 1993 Shankill Road bombing — was “out campaigning for Sinn Fein in this election.”

Mr O’Dowd responded: “Sean Kelly is out canvassing to promote politics and the peace process.”

Communist Party of Ireland (CPI) executive member Ernest Walker said: “At the end of the day, it’s all sectarian point-scoring, since they’ve all been involved in it in one way or another.

“The real politics of Northern Ireland are being ignored.”

DUP leader Arlene Foster hurried to distance her party from the LCC endorsement late on Tuesday night.

“We did not seek endorsement from any paramilitary organisation and indeed I fundamentally reject an endorsement from anyone that’s involved with paramilitarism or criminality,” she said.

But Ms Foster said there were elements in the LCC “trying their best” to leave their violent past behind.

And in a clear bid to avoid alienating her voter base, she stressed: “I am certainly not going to walk away from loyalist communities in Northern Ireland.”

Fellow CPI executive Joe Bowers said: “The DUP take a holier-than-thou position on what has occurred over the last few decades like they had no relation to it.

“Obviously the DUP are embarrassed by this public association with some organisations still perceived to be involved in violence.”