Edwin Poots hopes to be the next DUP leader STORMONT Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots has announced his intention to stand for the leadership of the DUP. The widely anticipated move by Poots came 24 hours after Arlene Foster announced her intention to stand down as party leader and Stormont First Minister. Her resignation came a day after party colleagues unhappy with her leadership moved against her, with a majority of senior elected representatives signing a letter of no confidence. Discontent at the DUP’s Brexit strategy was a major factor, with party rank-and-file laying some of the blame for the emergence of an Irish Sea border at her door.
Edwin Poots: Who is the DUP leader frontrunner and what does he believe? heraldscotland.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from heraldscotland.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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Three men have emerged as favourites to replace her at the helm.
BBC News NI looks at the careers to date of Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, Edwin Poots and Gavin Robinson.
Sir Jeffrey Donaldson
Sir Jeffrey Donaldson is the DUP s Westminster leader and is currently the longest-serving MP from Northern Ireland.
Born in Kilkeel, the 58-year-old has said his decision to enter politics was influenced by the IRA murder of his cousin and RUC officer Samuel Donaldson in 1970.
He began work for MP Enoch Powell between 1982 and 1984 after joining the Ulster Unionist Party, later leading election campaigns for him in 1983 and 1986.
DUP leadership race: Who is Edwin Poots, the front-runner tipped to succeed Arlene Foster?
The Agriculture Minister and Lagan Valley MLA has spent all his political life in the DUP since joining aged 16
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Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots (Image: Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye)
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