Jeffrey Donaldson named as next DUP leader in the North of Ireland

Jeffrey Donaldson has been named as the next leader of the DUP. He was narrowly defeated in the previous party leadership contest won by Poots last month. He will become the party’s third leader in a matter of weeks, after Arlene Foster was ousted last month and replaced by Mr Poots.

From Lisburn, he is currently the MP for Lagan Valley, but is expected to take up the post of First Minister at Stormont, causing a by-election in his Westminster constituency.

Donaldson defected to the DUP from the UUP alongside Arlene Foster in 2003 in a protest over the Good Friday Agreement, and in 2016 was knighted by the Tories “for political service”.

Despite being an Orangeman and a Presbyterian who has expressed anti-Catholic views, he is seen as being on the ‘moderate’ wing of the DUP.

In his candidacy statement at the weekend, Donaldson surprisingly made no mention of Irish language legislation as a political obstacle, despite internal objections to a plan to legislate for the rights for Irish speakers having propelled him to become party leader.

He said his major focus is on Brexit checks at ports in the north of Ireland under the Irish Protocol of Britain’s Withdrawal Agreement.

“Make no mistake, this is the number one issue facing our country, our people and our place within the UK,” he said.

He repeated that sentiment in a statement following the confirmation that he is unopposed as the new DUP leder.