The head of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), Jeffrey Donaldson, has stepped down from his role after police charged him concerning historical allegations. The notorious Lagan Valley MP has also been suspended from the party as per its rules, pending judicial inquiry. During an emergency session convened by the party ranks on Friday, Gavin Robinson, the deputy leader, was selected as the temporary leader, a decision that was unanimously agreed upon.
Following his appointment in 2021, Mr Donaldson stood as an influential figure within the party. Notably, his pivotal role in negotiating post-Brexit trading agreements with the UK government led to the resumption of power-sharing institutions at Stormont the past month. Mr Donaldson is also the longest-serving Northern Irish MP.
His abdication is a direct fall-out of a two-year political impasse in Northern Ireland following Stormont’s disruption by the DUP in February 2022 due to post-Brexit trading issues under the Northern Ireland Protocol. Prior to the restoration of power-sharing, Donaldson was involved in intense negotiations with Northern Secretary, Chris Heaton-Harris, rounding off with their agreement on January 30th.
A part of the more liberal faction within the DUP, his resignation is set to cause a severe jolt to the power-sharing body. Moreover, last Thursday saw Mr Donaldson’s social media handles vanish, triggering more questions, with the DUP choosing not to comment on it. Before his accounts’ mysterious disappearance, he used them to extend his congratulations to Simon Harris, the new leader of Fine Gael.