Jeffrey Donaldson – latest: DUP leader resigns after being charged with historic sex offences

Gavin Robinson has been the DUP’s deputy leader since last June and has been appointed interim leader in the wake of Jeffrey Donaldson’s resignation.

He is likely to stay on as party leader, becoming the fourth head of the DUP since Arlene Foster was forced out in 2021.

Mr Robinson, who has been the MP for Belfast East in the House of Commons since 2015, was lord mayor of Belfast in 2012–2013.

He is one of 21 MPs who in 2019 voted against LGBT inclusive sex and relationship education for schools in England.

But in 2012 he also became the first DUP representative to attend a gay pride event, saying that as lord mayor he wanted to “engage with every section of our society”.

It is thought Mr Robinson is expected to maintain the DUP’s participation in power sharing in Northern Ireland, keeping the devolved government up and running.

Northern Ireland first minister Michelle O’Neill said her priority following the resignation was to provide leadership and continue the work of the executive.

Ms O’Neill, Sinn Fein’s vice-president, said: “My priority is to continue to provide the leadership the public expect and deserve, and to ensure the four-party executive coalition delivers for the whole of our community now and in the future.

“The DUP leader has resigned after being charged with serious offences. This is now a matter for the criminal justice system.”

The identity of the new DUP leader could have ramifications for Northern Ireland’s deputy first minister, Emma Little Pengelly, as she was very much a Donaldson pick as the party’s nominee to jointly lead the Stormont coalition.

Ms Little Pengelly and Sinn Fein first minister Michelle O’Neill have received significant praise for their leadership of the administration since taking charge of the resurrected executive last month.

Question marks will also now hang over the DUP’s grip on the Lagan Valley parliamentary constituency, given the possibility of an imminent by-election.

Sir Jeffrey’s majority was significantly cut in the last general election amid a surge by the cross-community Alliance Party, and the DUP is likely to face a tough fight to hold the seat whenever voters next go to the polls.

The DUP’s statement announcing Sir Jeffrey’s resignation, pictured on a phone at the party’s headquarters in Belfast:

Julian Smith, secretary of state for Northern Ireland from 2019 to 2020, said Sir Jeffrey’s resignation was a “big shock to everybody”.

He told Radio 4’s World at One: “I’m not concerned in any way that this shocking news today will lead to any change in the momentum behind powersharing, and the stability that has now brought as it was returned a couple of months ago.”

“In this leadership role he has played a critical part over the last few months.

“He led the negotiations with the government, and he worked with his own party to move them from their position of staying out of the executive on the basis that they didn’t agree with the Northern Ireland protocol to returning.”

On social media, Mr Smith said Mr Robinson and deputy first minister Emma Little-Pengelly “will chart a positive course for the future”.

A man was removed from a plane at Heathrow following a row with DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson last week:

Sir Jeffrey dramatically walked out of the Northern Ireland peace talks on Good Friday 1998, prompting some people to comment that Good Friday was not a good day for unionists.

He had been a senior member of the Ulster Unionists’ negotiating delegation, and led a walkout of the peace talks after opposing the early release of republican and loyalist prisoners.

Alongside Arlene Foster, he had been part of a tight-knit group dubbed the “baby barristers” who opposed the Good Friday Agreement, the release of paramilitary prisoners and the direction in which then-UUP leader David Trimble was taking the party.

Hours before the historic accord was struck, the Lagan Valley MP famously left Castle Buildings at Stormont.

Last year, he said he harboured “no regrets” about the decision, adding: “What I have done is dedicate my career and my political involvement in the last 25 years to fixing the bits that haven’t worked, to getting solutions to the bits that weren’t properly addressed in 1998, and I continue in that endeavour.”

The new leader of the DUP has accused people of engaging in “conspiracy theories” and “scoring cheap political points” after Jeffrey Donaldson was charged with historical sex offences.

Following Sir Jeffrey’s resignation, party officers unanimously appointed Gavin Robinson as interim party leader.

Mr Robinson said: “It has been a devastating revelation and has caused tremendous shock not just for myself personally or my colleagues within the DUP but for the community right across Northern Ireland.

“It came as a great shock. But we are a party and individuals that believe in justice, we have faith in our criminal justice system.”

Mr Robinson, who had been the party’s deputy leader, told Sky News: “So, in the coming days and months I think it is important none of us say anything or act in any way that would seek to prejudice what is now an ongoing criminal investigation.”

He said there was unanimity within the party that he should step forward as interim leader.

“It’s a huge responsibility, not just because of the shocking news that we have had - but that will take its course and run its course.

“But for us, recognising the significant steps forward in Northern Ireland over the last number of weeks, focusing on the importance of making Northern Ireland work, instilling a sense of positivity in devolution and making sure devolution works.”

He added: “We will focus on the job and task that we have at hand, that is our focus.

“There have already been some who have sought to score some cheap political points and sought to engage in conspiracy theories who somehow enjoy or will manipulate such devastating news for those involved.”

Sir Jeffrey Donaldson’s membership of the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland has also been suspended.

A spokesman for the organisation said: “Jeffrey Donaldson’s membership has been suspended, in accordance with the rules of the Loyal Orange Institution, pending the outcome of the legal process.”