Sir Jeffrey Donaldson will be the next DUP leader – the party’s third in the space of two months.
A leadership vote was slated for Saturday, but the Lagan Valley MP was the only candidate at the close of nominations.
Sir Jeffrey, 58, succeeds Edwin Poots, who narrowly beat him in the contest sparked by the ouster of Arlene foster.
Edwin Poots was ousted after just 21 days
But Mr. Poots himself was ousted after 21 days in office for appointing a prime minister against the will of his party.
DUP MPs and Assembly members were reluctant to commit to power sharing unless the government addressed concerns about Brexit Protocol.
Mr Poots told Sky News he appointed a prime minister because being in a decentralized government gave the party “leverage”.
Paul Givan, the prime minister appointed by Mr. Poots last week, is expected to resign in a few days.
Unionists’ fury at the Irish Sea border has now cost Arlene Foster and Edwin Poots their leadership.
Arlene Foster was replaced by Mr Poots in June after his resignation
Sir Jeffrey is unlikely to commit to sharing power with Sinn Fein without some movement on the Northern Ireland protocol.
The Protocol established a trade boundary between North Ireland and Great Britain to avoid one on the Isle of Ireland.
On two occasions the UK government has unilaterally extended the grace period before certain checks are required and may do so again.
Mr Poots says he “received assurances” from Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis that there would be “significant changes” in July.
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He told BBC Radio Ulster that the government had “promised” a major “victory” to trade unionists, but that it “does not have the details”.
Sir Jeffrey will almost certainly require the fine print before …
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Source: news.sky.com
This notice was published: 2021-06-22 10:09:00
