UUP MLAs signing petition of concern followed reports of friction within party Assembly cohort
This week’s drama around the latest petition of concern at the Assembly has seen two UUP MLAs who were reportedly dissatisfied roll in behind their leader.
There had been questions over whether Jon Burrows could convince his MLA team to join him and his deputy Diana Armstrong in signing the DUP’s petition of concern, and in the end MLAs Robbie Butler and Alan Chambers both put their names to it, taking them up to the 30 signatures needed.
Last month, Mr Chambers was in the news amid the prospect that he could be forced to step down at next year’s election.
Aged 78, it was believed that party HQ was mulling not endorsing him in May 2027, leaving the possibility that he could run as an independent instead.
The UUP had declined to be drawn on the matter, but told the News Letter that “all candidate selection activity within the Ulster Unionist Party is governed by its rules and standing orders”, while Mr Chambers did not respond at the time to a request for comment from the News Letter.
Last year Mr Chambers rowed back from comments which had been interpreted as critical of the policies of health minister, and then-party leader, Mike Nesbitt.
The North Down MLA said he was “fully supportive” of a campaign against a trial of puberty blocker drugs on children – a policy which was at that stage endorsed by his party’s minister.
He then said while he is “uncomfortable with elements of the clinical trial” the UUP “fully supported” it.
Mr Nesbitt later paused the trial.
Mr Chambers has been UUP MLA for North Down since 2016.
Mr Butler meanwhile, who had been the deputy leader up until January this year, had been mulling over whether or not to challenge Mr Burrows for the UUP leadership for a number of weeks before ultimately opting not to.
As previously reported by News Letter political editor David Thompson, since that time there has been a poor relationship between the new leadership and the old guard of the UUP’s Assembly team, the majority of whom would have preferred Mr Butler to have taken the helm of the party instead.
Mr Butler has been the UUP’s MLA for Lagan Valley since 2016.