MP CHARGE
DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson steps down after being charged with rape and other sex offences
His replacement has already been revealed
POLITICAL powerbroker Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has been charged with rape and other sexual offences.
The 61-year-old quit as leader of the Democratic Unionist Party yesterday as it emerged he was due in court on April 24.
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He is accused of multiple historical sex offences and will appear alongside a 57-year-old woman accused of aiding and abetting him.
Donaldson, who helped bring power-sharing back to Northern Ireland in January, was arrested early on Thursday morning and taken to Antrim police station. He strenuously denies the charges.
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 Mr Donaldson 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."
Sir Jeffrey's social media accounts, including X, were deleted overnight.
The MP is the longest-serving in Northern Ireland after he was first elected in 1997.
His career started with the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) but his relationship with former leader David Trimble broke down when he led a walkout of the 1998 peace talks.
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He became leader of the DUP in July 2021 after first joining in 2004.
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Before working in politics, Sir Jeffrey followed his family by becoming a member of the Orange Order, and later followed in the footsteps of his late dad Jim by joining the Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR).
He spoke out about how the Troubles affected his family after his cousin Samuel Donaldson became the first police officer to be blown up by the IRA in the conflict.
Sir Jeffrey was recognised by the Queen in her 2016 Birthday Honours and was given a knighthood.
How Sir Jeffrey rose to prominence
Sir Jeffrey kicked off his 40-year political career as a constituency agent for the South Down MP Enoch Powell in the mid-1980s.
He went on to work as a personal assistant to the former Ulster Unionist Party leader James Molyneaux.
In 1997, after Mr Molyneaux retired, he succeeded him to take the Lagan Valley seat.
In 2003, amid his opposition to the Good Friday Agreement and the leadership of David Trimble, he left the UUP and signed up with the DUP alongside Arlene Foster.
Sir Jeffrey was appointed to the Privy Council, an advisory body to the Royal Family, in 2007.
His leadership saw him steer the party's two-year boycott of Northern Ireland's political institutions in protest over post-Brexit trading arrangements.
The shock announcement comes just weeks after he made the decision to bring the party back to powersharing in Northern Ireland.
After protracted negotiations, the DUP agreed to return to Stormont in February following the agreement of a new deal and a series assurances around Northern Ireland's constitutional position within the UK.
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