Jeffrey Donaldson has resigned as leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) after being charged with sexual offences, in what has been described as a “seismic” moment for Northern politics.
His shock departure was announced in a DUP statement following an emergency meeting of its senior officers on Friday morning.
The party said it received a letter from Mr Donaldson “confirming that he has been charged with allegations of an historical nature and indicating that he is stepping down as leader of the Democratic Unionist Party with immediate effect”.
The officers suspended the 61-year-old Lagan Valley MP “in accordance with the party rules … pending the outcome of a judicial process”.
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Attempts to contact Mr Donaldson were unsuccessful. All of his social media accounts were deleted overnight.
It has been reported that in his letter of resignation, he wrote of his intention to strenuously contest the charges.
DUP deputy leader and East Belfast MP Gavin Robinson has been appointed interim party leader, a move unanimously backed by the ruling officers.
Photographs of Mr Donaldson and his profile were removed from the DUP website shortly after his resignation.
Sources have said that Mr Donaldson, who is from the fishing village of Kilkeel in Co Down, left Northern Ireland in the morning and travelled to London, where he has an apartment.
The Orange Order, of which he is a long-serving member, confirmed it has also suspended him.
[ Jeffrey Donaldson’s departure is only the beginning of a crisisOpens in new window ]
Mr Donaldson has led the DUP since 2021 and is the longest-serving MP from the North, having first been elected to the Westminster parliament in 1997.
He was instrumental in securing a deal with the British government on post-Brexit trading arrangements that led to the restoration of Stormont last month.
His resignation follows two years of political deadlock in the North after the DUP collapsed Stormont in February 2022 in protest at the Northern Ireland protocol.
Mr Donaldson led intensive pre-Christmas talks with Northern Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris at Hillsborough Castle and on January 30th announced his party had endorsed a deal to restore the powersharing institutions. Representing the more moderate wing of the party, his departure could have a significant impact on the stability of those institutions.
Sinn Féin First Minister Michelle O’Neill issued a brief statement following the lunchtime DUP announcement and insisted her priority was to “ensure the four-party Executive coalition delivers for the whole of our community now and in the future”.
Mr Robinson described the allegations of sexual offences facing Mr Donaldson as “devastating” for the party.
“It has caused tremendous shock not just for myself personally or my colleagues within the DUP, but for the community right across Northern Ireland,” he told ITV.
“But we are a party and individuals that believe in justice, we have faith in our criminal justice system.”
Jon Tonge, Professor of British and Irish politics at the University of Liverpool, said it was an extraordinary development given Mr Donaldson’s status as the “unbridled leader of unionism”.
“It’s seismic because Jeffrey Donaldson had the visibility factor that no other DUP politician had,” he said.
“In terms of the British and Irish governments, they knew he was a man they could do business with. They will be glad the DUP’s made a very quick decision to install Gavin Robinson — he’s continuity Donaldson politically.”
Ulster Unionist Party leader Doug Beattie said that while the circumstances relating to Mr Donaldson stepping down are “of concern and in the public interest”, he was also mindful that it is now a criminal investigation and it would not be “proper to comment further”.
TUV leader Jim Allister said Mr Donaldson’s resignation has “very wide ramifications” for unionism.
“The damage is not limited to his party but impacts unionism as a whole,” he said.
A spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs in Dublin said: “We note the appointment of an interim leader of the DUP. We will continue to work with all parties to ensure the full and effective functioning of the Good Friday Agreement institutions.”
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