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NEW DUP LEADER Jeffrey Donaldson is expected to announce changes within his party at the Stormont Assembly later today.
The BBC reports Donaldson has been reviewing senior positions, including ministerial posts.
The DUP has been rocked by bitter divisions played out in public after successive revolts deposed former leader Arlene Foster and then her successor, Edwin Poots, who quit after just 21 days in the role.
A number of members of the DUP publicly resigned, including councillors Kathryn Owen and Glyn Hanna.
Poots’ demise came only weeks after he narrowly defeated Donaldson in the leadership contest to succeed Foster.
Donaldson went on to become the next leader, however his first day in the job was marred by the resignation of North Down MLA Alex Easton.
Easton, who will now sit as an independent, cited a lack of “respect, discipline or decency” within the DUP as one of the reasons he is quitting 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,” Easton said in his resignation statement.
“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,” he said.
“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.”
Donaldson has said he wants to heal the divisions within the party and will reach out to those who resigned.
Speaking to BBC Radio Ulster last week, he said: “We’ve come through a very difficult and bruising time for the party, there is no doubt about that, I won’t shy about that, I won’t try and put a gloss on it.
“I should have waited and listened to Edwin’s speech, that would have been the right to do, and I apologised for not having done so.
“In the midst of the difficulties we’ve had, we’ve said and done things to each other that have been hurtful, and the first step in healing the wounds is to recognise that, acknowledge that and I have done that … the response since has been really positive.
“During the leadership contest previously, we had been on opposite sides within the party but we’re now one side, we’re now working to be a more unified party.”
Includes reporting by Press Association
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Was thinking about a bike to work type incentive for peoples gardens, I know every garden is different, aspect, neighbours etc but a number of templates, set it up with a college re design etc.
So many gardens wasted but most people have no idea what to put in
@Seamus Brady:Tell that to the army of distinguished power washers who have made it their life’s ambition to obliterate every living thing with death by water jet.
@Seamus Brady: I think that the new admiration for faux grass lawns says it all, people don’t want the maintenance. Currently converting some of my lawn to a flower meadow. Will take some work and the grass has the upper hand for the moment but saw one interesting idea while researching it: people think lawns are low maintenance, they’re one of the most high maintenance needing cutting every one to two weeks during spring, summer and autumn, a healthy meadow only needs to be cut once a year so it’s much easier to maintain.
@Diarmuid Hunt: Check out yellow rattle plant if you haven’t seen it yet. It’s called the meadow maker. And best of luck!
@Bill Spill: Already have it, thank you though, more people need to know about yellow rattle/hay rattle. I got ripped off buying it from a specialist shop, a friend told me it’s readily available in farmer’s co-ops. For those that don’t know it’s a semi-parisitic plant that weakens grass so that native wildflowers have a better chance at taking hold.
@Diarmuid Hunt: its a great idea,good luck with it!
Replaced my lawn with wild flowers five years ago, looks so much better, smells great, attracts and feeds bees and other pollinators. I would like to see all urban greens (obviously not playing fields)turned to wild flower meadows. Better still we should be turning over all our unproductive land to nature and an outright ban on non native forestry.
have your say