Donaldson formally endorsed as new DUP leader

BELFAST: DUP MPs and Assembly members have formally endorsed Sir Jeffrey Donaldson as their new leader.

Sir Jeffrey received 32 votes of the party’s 36-strong electoral college as it met at a Co Antrim hotel to rubber stamp the Lagan Valley MP’s ascent to the top job. The gathering came after a chaotic two months for Northern Ireland’s largest party.

Internal divisions have been laid bare after successive revolts deposed former leader Arlene Foster and her successor Edwin Poots. Sir Jeffrey, the party’s 58-year-old Westminster leader, was the only candidate to put his name forward for the DUP leadership after the dramatic resignation of Poots last week.

Poots’ demise came only weeks after he narrowly defeated Sir Jeffrey in the leadership contest to succeed Mrs Foster. Poots did not attend the meeting on Saturday morning.

Having received the majority endorsement of the electoral college, which is made up of 28 MLAs and eight MPs, Sir Jeffrey has become leader designate.

He will become the official party leader next week when the DUP’s ruling executive meets to ratify his appointment.

Poots’ resignation came after he pressed ahead with reconstituting Stormont’s powersharing Executive alongside Sinn Fein, despite a significant majority of his MPs and MLAs being vociferously opposed to the move.

Party anger at a UK Government pledge to grant Sinn Fein a key concession on Irish language laws was behind the internal opposition to Mr Poots’ decision to nominate a First Minister to lead the administration alongside the republican party. Serious question marks now hang over the future of First Minister Paul Givan.