NI parties plunged into emergency general election planning after Sunak's shock announcement belfasttelegraph.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from belfasttelegraph.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
From the moment he arrived in west Belfast at the height of the Troubles, Pat Buckley knew whose side he was on and that put him on a collision course with the Catholic Church hierarchy.
The DUP has suffered a sharp drop in support, with its unionist rivals gaining ground in the wake of Jeffrey Donaldson being charged with historical sex crimes.