Arlene Foster has announced her resignation as the First Minister of Northern Ireland and the leader of the Democratic Unionist Party. Ms Foster had faced a revolt against her leadership over the handling of Brexit and a decision to abstain in a vote on gay conversion therapy. In a statement, Arlene Foster said: “A short time ago I called the Party Chairman (Lord Morrow) to inform him that I intend to step down as leader of the Democratic Unionist Party on May 28 and as First Minister of Northern Ireland at the end of June. “It is important to give space over the next few weeks for the party officers to make arrangements for the election of a new leader. When elected, I will work with the new leader on transition arrangements.”
Arlene Foster has announced she is resigning as DUP leader and First Minister of Northern Ireland after an internal party revolt over her handling of Brexit.
Mrs Foster said in a statement published this afternoon that she intends to step down as DUP leader on May 28 and will then quit as First Minister at the end of June.
She said it has been the privilege of my life to serve the people of Northern Ireland as their First Minister as she brings the curtain down on her five and a half year tenure as DUP leader.
The 50-year-old Fermanagh and South Tyrone representative also indicated her resignation will mark the end of her political career, as she said she was preparing to depart the political stage .
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Arlene Foster had faced calls from her own party to step down ARLENE Foster is resigning as Northern Ireland’s first minister and leader of the DUP. The Brexiteer says she will step down as DUP leader on May 28 and as first minister at the end of June. In a statement, she said: It is important to give space over the next few weeks for the Party Officers to make arrangements for the election of a new leader. The outgoing first minister described serving the people of Northern Ireland as the privilege of my life . She added: The future of unionism and Northern Ireland will not be found in division. It will only be found in sharing this place we are privileged to call home.
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Arlene Foster has served as head of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) in Northern Ireland for more than five years.
Arlene Foster has announced that she will step down as the head of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) on May 28 and will step down as the First Minister of Northern Ireland by the end of June.
The announcement comes as reports emerged yesterday that Foster was set to face a motion of no-confidence from within the DUP.
The Newsletter reports that a clear majority of DUP MLAs, as well as at least half the party’s MPs and some of its peers, have put their names to what is effectively a letter of no confidence in Mrs. Foster.