Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has this afternoon quit as leader of the Democratic Unionist Party after he was charged over historical sexual allegations. A 57-year-old woman has also been charged with aiding and abetting in connection with the alleged offences. Both were arrested on Thursday morning by detectives and were questioned before being charged on Thursday night. They are now due to appear in court next month.
In a statement, the DUP says that: ‘The party chairman has received a letter from Sir Jeffrey Donaldson MP confirming that he has been charged with allegations of a historical nature and indicating that he is stepping down as Leader of the Democratic Unionist Party with immediate effect.’
The statement goes on to say that: ‘In accordance with the party rules, the party officers have suspended Mr Donaldson from membership, pending the outcome of a judicial process.’
Following this suspension, party officers unanimously appointed Gavin Robinson MP as interim leader.
