Northern Ireland unionist leader resigns after charged for sexual offences

The leader of Northern Ireland’s largest unionist party has stepped down from the top job after being charged with sexual offences of a historic nature, the party said in a statement.

Jeffrey Donaldson left his post with immediate effect pending the outcome of the judicial process, the Democratic Unionist Party said on Friday.

In accordance with party rules, it has suspended him from membership.

The announcement came after police in Northern Ireland said a 61-year-old man had been arrested and charged with non-recent sexual offences.

A 57-year-old woman was charged with aiding and abetting additional offences, the Police Service of Northern Ireland said. Both suspects are due in court on April 24.

British police generally do not identify suspects by name.

Ahead of parliamentary elections

The resignation of Donaldson, who has been party leader since 2021, throws the DUP into disarray ahead of UK parliamentary elections expected later this year.

As the biggest unionist party, the DUP is the voice of Northern Ireland voters who seek to maintain the region's historic ties to the United Kingdom.

Donaldson is a pivotal figure in the DUP, taking the party out of Northern Ireland's power-sharing administration for more than two years to pressure the UK central government into amending post-Brexit trading arrangements.

The DUP agreed to return to power-sharing with the Irish nationalist party Sinn Fein earlier this year following a series of assurances about Northern Ireland’s constitutional position within the United Kingdom.

Donaldson has been a member of Parliament since 1997.

He was initially a member of the Ulster Unionist Party but left the party over its support for the 1998 Good Friday Agreement that largely ended decades of violence in Northern Ireland. He joined the DUP in 2004.

Gavin Robinson, the member of Parliament for Belfast East, was named interim party leader.