Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has announced his resignation as DUP leader after being charged with historical allegations by police; fallout continues after a major Tory donor was awarded a knighthood on the recommendation of Rishi Sunak.
Friday 29 March 2024 20:30, UK
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By Niamh Lynch, news reporter
Gavin Robinson, the interim leader of the Democratic Unionist Party, has called Jeffrey Donaldson’s charge a “devastating revelation” that has caused “tremendous shock”.
But he has criticised “some who have sought to score cheap political points”.
Mr Robinson’s comments come as Donaldson stepped down as DUP leader earlier today after he was charged with historical sexual offences.
But Donaldson has not resigned as MP for Lagan Valley, and Mr Robinson did not rule out a by-election in the constituency, saying: “What comes in the days and months in that regard are outside our control.”
You can read more here:
By Tim Baker, political reporter
Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has stepped down as leader of the Democratic Unionist Party with immediate effect after he was charged with historical sexual offences.
In a statement, the DUP said: “The party chairman has received a letter from Sir Jeffrey Donaldson MP confirming that he has been charged with allegations of an historical nature and indicating that he is stepping down as leader of the Democratic Unionist Party with immediate effect.
“In accordance with the party rules, the party officers have suspended Sir Jeffrey from membership, pending the outcome of a judicial process.
“The party officers have this morning unanimously appointed Mr Gavin Robinson MP as the interim party leader.”
You can read more here:
By Tim Baker and Alexandra Rogers, political reporters
Rishi Sunak looks to have seen off his backbenchers – at least for now.
The nascent rebellions have gone quiet in the past few weeks and the Commons is in its Easter recess, with MPs returning to Westminster on 15 April.
Time away from parliament normally strengthens – or at least prevents the further collapse – of a prime minister, as MPs disperse back to their constituencies and away from the plot-heavy fug of Westminster.
But a potential flashpoint is looming: May’s local elections.
A particularly bad performance by the Tories could lead to fresh pressure on the PM’s leadership and prove to be the catalyst for a concrete move to oust Mr Sunak.
Sky News explains how Tory MPs could get rid of the PM and – if they are successful – who would likely be in the running to replace him.
Read more below:
While the Royal Family have faced a challenging few weeks, our political editor Beth Rigby, Jess Phillips, and Ruth Davidson explore the points where royalty and politics meet, and what the family will say publicly about the state of cancer care following the King and the Princess of Wales’s diagnoses.
Plus, is deputy prime minister Oliver Dowden someone likely to be feeling on top this week after calling out China-backed cyberattacks and announcing sanctions against two individuals and a company? Beth, Jess, and Ruth discuss the extent of the Chinese threat.
And they go through more of your messages and questions.
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Over a year ago, Rishi Sunak made five pledges for voters to judge him on.
The prime minister met his promise to halve inflation by the end of 2023.
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You can see the progress for yourself below.
The Sky News live poll tracker – collated and updated by our Data and Forensics team – aggregates various surveys to indicate how voters feel about different political parties.
As Labour launches its local elections campaign, it is still sitting comfortably on a roughly 19-point lead, averaging at 43.0% in the polls, with the Tories on 23.7%.
In third is Reform UK on 12.0%, followed by the Lib Dems on 10.2%.
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See the latest update below – and you can read more about the methodology behind the tracker here.
There will most likely be a general election at some point in 2024, but we don’t know exactly when.
We do know it won’t happen on 2 May – when local elections will take place across England.
The prime minister’s “working assumption” is that it will be held in the second half of this year – but beyond that we know very little about the precise timing.
So why is this the case?
Political correspondent Serena Barker-Singh explains:
By Tim Baker, political reporter
Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has been an ever-present feature of the political landscape in Northern Ireland for several decades.
But his leadership of the Democratic Unionist Party came to an end on 29 March, when it revealed Donaldson had resigned as chief after he was charged with sexual offences of a “historical nature”.
Born in County Down in the 1960s, he was raised during the Troubles and has been a vocal campaigner for unionism throughout his life.
Donaldson came to the fore after the UK left the EU for his opposition to the Northern Ireland Protocol – which he believed undermined Northern Ireland’s place in the United Kingdom.
Read about the 61-year-old’s life in the profile below…
The DUP has weathered many storms, but this is a political earthquake for the party.
Sir Jeffrey Donaldson’s departure under a cloud will have ramifications in both the short-term and long-term.
It will rock the newly established power-sharing government, of which the DUP forms one half.
And maintaining its seats at Westminster in the upcoming general election will be a mountain for the party to climb.
The DUP is well known for its conservative views on social issues like same-sex marriage.
Any whiff of impropriety, never mind alleged offence, leaves it open to allegations of hypocrisy.
In 2010, DUP leader Peter Robinson stepped down briefly as first minister when his wife confessed to an extra-marital affair.
Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has not only resigned but had his party membership suspended, pending the outcome of the judicial process.
It’s an inauspicious end to the political career of Northern Ireland’s longest-serving member of parliament.
Northern Ireland first minister and Sinn Fein vice president Michelle O’Neill has released a statement in the wake of Sir Jeffrey Donaldson’s resignation as DUP leader (see 12.56 post).
She 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.”
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