RAZE THE MAZE: David McNarry of Ukip with TUV leader Jim Allister and UUP MLA Tom Elliott with online petition

UKIP has joined a unionist campaign against a new peace and reconciliation centre at the former Maze prison.

It claims it is a moved to build a “shrine” to IRA and INLA hunger strikers who fasted to death in the Co Antrim jail over 30 years ago.

The party, which is led by Nigel Farage, has joined the Ulster Unionist Party led by Micke Nesbitt and the hardline Traditional Unionist Voice in organising an online petition in opposition to the plans for the former jail.

The DUP and Sinn Fein have agreed to build a “peace centre” at the site.

However, other unionists claim Sinn Féin will turn the centre into a shrine in honour of the seven IRA and three INLA prisoners who died in the 1981 hunger strike.

David McNarry MLA, who defected from the Ulster Unionists to Ukip last year, called on the DUP to reverse its support for the project.

The UUP, TUV and Ukip have now set up an online petition to oppose the plan

“No one has even attempted to put forward an argument demonstrating that it is right,” said Mr McNarry.

He added that he was convinced republicans would turn the conflict study centre into a shrine honouring IRA and other prisoners.

The petition campaign, Raze the Maze, will go online this week with the aim of garnering enough signatures to convince the DUP to withdraw support for the centre.