SDLP’s Stormont leader Matthew O’Toole backs Claire Hanna as future party leader

Mr O'Toole said Ms Hanna, the South Belfast and Mid Down MP, is the best person to build a coalition for an "inclusive new Ireland ".

Asked if he would run for leader, Mr O'Toole told the BBC Good Morning Ulster programme: "When there is a vacancy like this, the most important thing you need to do first of all is to think about what the purpose of the role is and what the values are of the SDLP.

"We are a party committed to ending divisions on the island of Ireland , it is a pretty big mission, but it is important and it matters to us and that is what unites us and is what drives us forward.

"You need to think about who the best person is to lead that effort, whether it is politically or in a broader sense, and I think the best person to do that is Claire Hanna .

"She is an extraordinary leader, she is an extraordinary person. She is also someone who really embodies the reconciled, inclusive new Ireland that we want to build.

"I think she is the best person to broaden that support, to help us make the case and build a coalition for that kind of inclusive new Ireland that we want to see."