Sir Jeffrey is one of the most prominent figures in Northern Irish politics (Picture: Charles McQuillan/Getty Images)
Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has stepped down as the leader of the Democratic Unionist Party after being charged with ‘allegations of an historical nature’.
The 61-year-old, who became leader in June 2021, also appeared to have deleted all his social media accounts and his official website earlier today.
Gavin Robinson, the MP for Belfast East, had been unanimously appointed interim leader, the DUP said in a statement.
A 57-year-old woman has been charged with aiding and abetting additional offences in relation to the same police investigation.
Sir Jeffrey, Northern Ireland’s longest-serving MP, stepped up to lead the party following the resignation of Edwin Poots after just a month in the role.
His own resignation will throw Northern Irish politics back into turmoil after a brief two months where stability appeared to have returned.
He played a prominent role in blocking the formation of the Northern Ireland Executive for almost two years in protest over post-Brexit trading arrangements.
The body finally formed at the end of January this year, with Sinn Féin’s Michelle O’Neill as first minister and Emma Little-Pengelly of the DUP as deputy first minister.
The DUP said it had received a letter from Sir Jeffrey stating that he had been charged with allegations of a historical nature and that he would be stepping down as leader.
A statement from the DUP released this afternoon said: ‘In accordance with the Party Rules, the Party Officials have suspended Mr Donaldson from membership, pending the outcome of a judicial process.
‘The party officers have this morning unanimously appointed Mr Gavin Robinson MP as the interim party leader.’
Overnight, Mr Donaldson’s website and social media accounts, including on X, Facebook and Instagram, were deleted.
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