pressure to stand as an independent candidate, UBP members said yesterday.

Mrs. Cartwright DeCouto lost out in the vote for the official nomination -- but now angry supporters want her to stage a solo run under the "Independent UBP'' banner.

A party insider said: "She hasn't indicated she will -- but I know it's been suggested to her.

"Some of her supporters have said she should run. She didn't offer to do it.'' Yesterday, Mrs. Cartwright DeCouto admitted she had been approached by rebel party members asking her to make a solo run.

But the former Pembroke West Central MP dismissed going it alone as "out of the question''.

If Mrs. Cartwright DeCouto had opted to stand in the March 31 by-election, she could have forced a three-way split in the UBP vote if another party rebel, ex-UBP deputy chairman David Sullivan, stands as well.

And both, or either, running could leave the way clear for the PLP's George Scott to slip through and claim the seat for Government.

But the simmering row over the selection process is also likely to damage the UBP in a by-election vital to the future of the party.

Mrs. Cartwright DeCouto was defeated 35 votes to 21 by Senator and Opposition Leader Pamela Gordon's sister Patricia Gordon Pamplin after a marathon two-hour meeting of the Paget West branch last Wednesday.

The vote came despite a telephone poll organised by Smith's South UBP MP Trevor Moniz, which claimed clear backing for Mrs. Cartwright DeCouto.

Mr. Moniz declined to speculate on whether Mrs. Cartwright DeCouto would stand -- or whether he would back her if she did.

UBP rebel urged to stand as independent He said: "She has been a member of the party since 1968 and served in Cabinet for so long -- it would be a very hard decision for someone like her to make.'' Mr. Moniz added: "To me, the poll clearly shows she is the best candidate for the job. In my opinion she's the best candidate, but the poll showed the voters also thought that.'' But he said: "The course they have taken on this appears to fly in the face of what the voters want and that is a dangerous thing to do.'' Mr. Moniz and Mrs. Cartwright DeCouto, were part of the rebel five then-Government MPs who came out against Sir John Swan's Independence Referendum and split the party in the McDonald's burger wars.

Mr. Moniz' poll showed Mrs. Cartwright DeCouto ahead of other candidates -- including her ex-Pembroke West Central running mate Jerome Dill, who pulled out of the race at the last minute.

The branch's top picks -- understood to have been Pauline Richards, wife of ex-Sen. E.T. (Bob) Richards, and BELCO executive Vince Ingham, are believed to have turned the offer down.

Mr. Sullivan -- who considered standing for the nomination -- said the party had ridden roughshod over its own constitution in selecting Sen. Gordon Pamplin -- although party chiefs insisted there were get-out clauses if time was short.

Mr. Moniz added: "They have flown in the face of the clear wishes of Paget West and thrown the constitution to one side in the face of expediency.'' Mrs. Cartwright DeCouto said: "Undoubtedly, mistakes were made -- the proceedings were so truncated that, in my view, metaphorically, the constitution was ripped up and thrown in the garbage.'' But she added: "As I said after the meeting on Wednesday, I will let it stand.''