Northern Ireland DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson resigns after police charges
Al Jazeera
Media reports say the charges against the Democratic Unionist Party head relate to ‘non-recent sexual offences’.
The leader of Northern Ireland’s largest unionist party, Jeffrey Donaldson, has resigned after confirming he has been charged with “allegations of an historical nature”, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) says.
“In accordance with the party rules, the party officers have suspended Mr Donaldson from membership, pending the outcome of a judicial process,” a DUP statement said on Friday.
The statement added that party officers had unanimously appointed Gavin Robinson, another DUP lawmaker in the United Kingdom’s parliament, as interim party leader.
While the DUP has not specified the reason behind the 61-year-old’s resignation, numerous media outlets reported that Donaldson stepping down from his position was linked to a statement by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) reporting two arrests.
“A 61-year-old man has been charged in relation to non-recent sexual offences,” said a PSNI statement.
