Arlene Foster faces battle to stay in charge
Majority of DUP want leadership poll
ARLENE Foster’s future as leader of the DUP and First Minister of Northern Ireland was under threat last night as party members signed a letter of no confidence in her.
Three- quarters of her 27 Members of the Legislative Assembly ( MLAs) were reported to have put their name to calls for an urgent leadership contest.
MPs and peers are also thought to support the letter.
Mrs Foster, 50, has led the unionist party for five years after taking over from Peter Robinson.
However party members are increasingly angry over her handling of the Brexit process which culminated in the emergence of an Irish Sea border.
She also sparked fury by abstaining on a recent Assembly vote on a motion calling for a ban on gay conversion therapy that did not incorporate a specific mention of protections for religious practices.
Yesterday she played down suggestions her job was under threat. She said: ‘Stories on leadership come up from time to time, and it’s one of those times.
‘So we’ll just deal with it and move on because I’ve bigger things to do, including getting us through this Covid pandemic, including listening to the concerns of working- class communities. These stories come up from time to time. This is no different. I haven’t received any letters from constituency associations so I’m not going to get into a running commentary on these issues, they come up from time to time. I think it’s important to note that there is the big job of work to do. We have a year left of this mandate.
‘It’s important that we lift our eyes and continue the work of rolling out of the restrictions, deal with the Northern Ireland Protocol.’ While there was widespread support for ending consupport’, version practices during the Assembly debate last Tuesday, the reach and scope of legislation was a matter of contention.
A DUP amendment, while supporting a potential ban, sought to include protections for legitimate religious activities such as preaching, prayer and pastoral insisting those do not represent conversion therapies.
A majority of DUP members opposed the motion after their amendment failed.
Mrs Foster and four party colleagues, including fellow Stormont Executive ministers Peter Weir and Diane Dodds, abstained in the vote on the substantive motion, rather than opposing it.
This prompted speculation of a split with more religious fundamentalist elements in the party.
Last night the DUP said its internal democratic electoral processes were a matter for its members and declined to comment on Mrs Foster’s future.
‘ The Democratic Unionist Party conducts its business in accordance with its constitution and rules,’ the party said.
‘I have bigger things to do’