The leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), Northern Ireland’s main pro-union party, has announced his resignation after being charged with historical allegations. Jeffrey Donaldson, 61, confirmed his resignation in a letter to the party, citing the charges and stepping down as leader with immediate effect. The party has suspended Donaldson from membership pending the outcome of the judicial process.
Police in Northern Ireland issued a statement confirming that a 61-year-old man had been charged with non-recent sexual offenses, without naming the individual. Reports indicate that the charges relate to Donaldson, who is expected to appear before Newry Magistrates Court on April 24 along with a 57-year-old woman charged with aiding and abetting additional offenses.
Following Donaldson's resignation, Northern Ireland's First Minister Michelle O’Neill emphasized the need to provide continued leadership to the public. O’Neill, a member of the pro-united Ireland party Sinn Fein, expressed that the matter is now in the hands of the criminal justice system.
Donaldson, who had been chief whip of the DUP since May 2015 and became party leader in 2021, was the longest-serving sitting lawmaker in Northern Ireland before his resignation. He initially belonged to the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) before switching to the DUP in 2004.
During Donaldson's leadership, the DUP opted out of Northern Ireland’s power-sharing government in protest over post-Brexit trading rules, leading to a two-year political deadlock that ended in February. The party has now appointed Gavin Robinson as interim leader following Donaldson's resignation.
