Jeffrey Donaldson, the leader of the Democratic Unionist Party and a backer of strong ties with the U.K., has resigned after being arrested on Thursday.
Jeffrey Donaldson, leader of the Democratic Unionist Party and one of Northern Ireland’s most prominent and influential politicians, resigned his leadership of the party on Friday, after being charged with “historical” sex offenses.
The resignation, which sent shock waves through Northern Irish politics, was announced in a statement from the D.U.P., which said it was also suspending Mr. Donaldson as a party member pending a judicial process.
The party said that it had received a letter from Mr. Donaldson, the longest-serving member of Parliament in Northern Ireland, “confirming that he has been charged with allegations of an historical nature and indicating that he is stepping down as leader.”
Earlier on Friday the Police Service of Northern Ireland said that it had “charged a 61-year-old man for non-recent sexual offenses.” It added that “a 57-year-old woman was also arrested and charged at the time for aiding and abetting additional offenses.”
In line with British police practice, the statement did not state the identities of those charged, but said they would appear in a magistrates court on April 24.
Mr. Donaldson’s social media accounts, including his profiles on X, LinkedIn and Instagram, appeared to have been deleted on Friday morning.