Brendan Hughes: DUP trying same tactic twice would…

Brendan Hughes: DUP trying same tactic twice would take voters for granted

One of Sir Jeffrey Donaldson's key pitches for taking up the DUP leadership was that he would lead his party from Stormont.

At the time the DUP was still the largest party in the Assembly and held the First Minister post.

Whereas rival Edwin Poots wanted to split the party leader and First Minister roles, Sir Jeffrey argued it was important to lead unionism from the Executive Office.

"I will not be leading remotely from Westminster," Sir Jeffrey said last year. "I will be on the ground and intend to fight the next Assembly election so that I can be based here.

"I would take on the role of First Minister as I believe that our people not only want a leader of unionism, they want a leader for Northern Ireland."

But has there been a change of heart? With a snap Stormont election looming, the DUP leader has been unable to say for sure whether he will be a candidate.

"Well our party officers are meeting to discuss the arrangements for the selection of our candidates and we will take those decisions collectively," he told Belfast Live at Stormont on Thursday.

He stood for election last time in May but within days co-opted Emma Little-Pengelly to the seat he won in Lagan Valley, arguing he needed to stay at Westminster for the time being to oppose Brexit's Northern Ireland Protocol.

Ms Little-Pengelly has also been non-committal on whether she will be standing for election, telling BBC's Good Morning Ulster: "These issues will be worked through and that will become clear very shortly."

While the DUP denied taking voters for granted last time, it would be stretching political credibility to try the same tactic twice just six months apart.

It does not prevent Sir Jeffrey from returning to Stormont at some point in the future if his name is not on the ballot this winter. There could simply be another co-option.

However, he could face accusations of running scared of the electorate. And with Sinn Fein overtaking the DUP as the largest party, he could also face questions over his long-term commitment to Stormont.

The perception is a party that is leaving its options open.

Sir Jeffrey is previously on record saying that if unionist concerns over the protocol are addressed, he will leave Westminster and personally take up the role of Deputy First Minister.

He told MPs in the Commons that he has "already committed to leave this place and to return to Stormont as the deputy First Minister".

But stepping down as Lagan Valley MP - a role he has held for 25 years - would trigger a potentially tricky by-election in his constituency.

In the 2019 general election, Sir Jeffrey's vote share plunged by 16% while second-place Alliance saw its vote surge by almost 18% with candidate Sorcha Eastwood.

Sir Jeffrey still comfortably retained the seat with 19,586 votes (43.1%) compared to Ms Eastwood's 13,087 (28.8%), but it is unclear what would happen if his name was no longer on the election posters.

All this flip-flopping will be music to Sinn Fein's election campaign, playing into claims that the DUP is unwilling to serve as Deputy First Minister to a nationalist First Minister.

Sir Jeffrey has said his party is "ready to fight" in a fresh election. On the prospect of another poll he told reporters earlier this year: "I'm never afraid to face the people."

But while Sir Jeffrey will be leading the DUP into this election, it appears he personally might be sitting this one out.

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