Sir. Jeffrey Donaldson to reach out to erstwhile DUP MLA Alex Easton

DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has said he will reach out to a veteran MLA who has announced his resignation from the party - writes Rebecca Black and David Young, PA.

Alex Easton’s statement announcing his decision to leave the party after 21 years came on Sir Jeffrey’s first full day in the leadership role.

The North Down MLA, who said he will now sit as an independent, cited a lack of “respect, discipline or decency” within the DUP as among his reasons.

His move comes after two months of unprecedented internal turmoil for the party.

Bitter divisions within the party have been laid bare after successive revolts deposed former leader Arlene Foster and then her successor Edwin Poots, who quit after just 21 days in the job

Mr Poots’s demise came only weeks after he narrowly defeated Sir Jeffrey in the leadership contest to succeed Mrs Foster.

Mr Easton announced his resignation in a statement reported by the Co Down Spectator and Belfast Telegraph on Thursday.

Several party councillors have also quit the DUP in recent weeks.

“It is with great sadness and hurt that I find myself doing one of the hardest things in my life and resigning from the DUP,” Mr Easton’s statement said.

“I have had to stand back and watch as colleagues tear themselves apart, brief against other colleagues and run to the media in order to hurt each other on a daily basis. There is no respect, discipline or decency, I have just had enough.

“This is not something that I want to be a part of as a unionist – it is not Alex Easton. No matter who people supported during the recent leadership contest, I find elements from both sides are equally to blame for recent events, and it continues.”

Mr Easton said he had given 21 years of his life to the DUP. He said it had been an “extremely lonely” experience at times and “few have cared how I have felt”.

He said: “Unionism is in my heart and soul, and I crave unity for the unionist community. I am not getting this from any of the unionist parties or their leaders at present. The Union is slowly being eroded from beneath our feet.”

He also wished the new DUP leader well in his new role, adding he would “like to see a positive and proactive unionism, not a reactive and submissive unionism”.

Sir Jeffrey said he was “greatly saddened” to hear of Mr Easton’s decision.

“He’s a hard-working MLA, represents his constituency faithfully,” he told a gathering of his party at the Stormont Hotel in east Belfast.

“I will be reaching out to Alex, I will sit down with him, talk through his concerns and the issues that are important to Alex. My door will be open and the door of this party will be open to Alex, and I hope that one day Alex will find the path back to this party and I will encourage him to do so.”

Sir Jeffrey said he had already spoken to other councillors who had decided to become independent and believed some would return to the DUP.

“I want to build a unity in this party,” he said.

Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said the next Assembly election would be a “defining moment for Northern Ireland”.

“Make no mistake there are those who will treat next year’s Assembly election as a referendum on a border poll that would plunge Northern Ireland into division and instability at a time when we need to be building a stable and united community,” he said.

“More than ever unionists and those who care about peace and stability must come together to resist this threat.”

The new DUP leader said unionist parties had to acknowledge that many pro-Union people were not voting for them.

“The pace of social change this past decade cannot be ignored by those who wish to represent a majority of the people who live here,” he said.

“At a time when there is no evidence that a majority of people in Northern Ireland would wish to change our constitutional status, unionist parties are failing to secure a majority of votes in Province-wide elections.

“This should serve as a ‘wake up’ call to all unionist parties and a clear sign of where there is considerable room for expansion. I don’t expect this party will ever be able to win the support of every unionist voter, but we must make it a warm house for those who share our vision on the Union from whatever background they may come.”

Stormont Assembly member Alex Easton has resigned from the DUP, citing a lack of “respect, discipline or decency” within the party as one of the reasons he is quitting.

Mr Easton announced his decision in a statement reported by the Co Down Spectator and Belfast Telegraph on Thursday.

His decision was made public on Sir Jeffrey Donaldson’s first full day as DUP leader and comes after two months of unprecedented internal turmoil for the party.

“It is with great sadness and hurt that I find myself doing one of the hardest things in my life and resigning from the DUP,” Mr Easton’s statement said.

“I have had to stand back and watch as colleagues tear themselves apart, brief against other colleagues and run to the media in order to hurt each other on a daily basis. There is no respect, discipline or decency, I have just had enough.

“This is not something that I want to be a part of as a unionist – it is not Alex Easton. No matter who people supported during the recent leadership contest, I find elements from both sides are equally to blame for recent events, and it continues.”

Alex Easton said he had given 21 years of his life to the DUP. He said it had been an “extremely lonely” experience at times and “few have cared how I have felt”.

He said: “Unionism is in my heart and soul, and I crave unity for the unionist community. I am not getting this from any of the unionist parties or their leaders at present. The Union is slowly being eroded from beneath our feet.

“We have a Westminster Government who are destroying the DUP – through their actions over the head of unionism and with their implementation of the Protocol. I look to the east across the Irish Sea every morning and see a British Government that don’t show any care, love or affection for the unionist people or our cause of keeping this country together.

“They have sold our birth right from under us with the Protocol, they just don’t understand us. They will do anything it takes to appease the republican movement.”

In his resignation statement, Alex Easton also criticised Sinn Fein and the Irish Government. He wished new DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson well in his new role.

“All I can see are the various strands of unionism, tearing themselves apart, time after time, and allowing our opponents to keep chipping away towards their goal of a border poll,” he said. “I would like to see a positive and proactive unionism, not a reactive and submissive unionism.

“The challenge for the new leader of the DUP, and for Doug Beattie, Jim Allister and Billy Hutchinson, is to come together under a united unionist banner and provide proper leadership, putting egos aside for the good of the Union before it is too late.”

He added: “I know there will be consequences for my actions, but I am not interested in attacking the DUP or briefing against my former colleagues.

“I hope that they feel the same way about me and won’t try to discredit me. I am only interested in working on the ground for all of my constituents across North Down.”