2 hours ago 16 minutes ago
Jayne McCormackPolitical correspondent, BBC News NI
PA Media
Sir Jeffrey Donaldson's governmental vocation is simply a communicative of 2 Good Fridays – the archetypal a pivotal turning point, the 2nd a shocking end.
It was successful 1998, the time the bid woody - the Good Friday Agreement - was signed, bringing an extremity to decades of struggle successful Northern Ireland, that helium walked retired of talks implicit the determination of his Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) to enactment it.
The melodramatic determination was uncharacteristic successful a governmental beingness that usually avoided drama. But it did acceptable him connected a way that would spot him spell from being a thorn successful the broadside of the UUP leadership, to becoming a enactment person himself - but for the rival Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) aft his defection to them successful 2003.
Fast guardant 26 years later, Good Friday 2024, and DUP person Donaldson is charged with intersexual abuse. He resigns arsenic person and past has his rank suspended by the party.
On Monday, Donaldson was recovered blameworthy of each 18 enactment maltreatment charges helium faced, including rape.
A fewer abbreviated weeks earlier being arrested and charged, helium had been successful Washington DC for St Patrick's Day celebrations, lauded arsenic the antheral of the infinitesimal aft getting his enactment to instrumentality to power-sharing authorities astatine Stormont.
It was deemed the pinnacle of his decades-long career.
Just weeks later, that vocation laic successful tatters.
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UUP person David Trimble and Jeffrey Donaldson had a tempestuous relationship
His clip successful authorities whitethorn person ended successful the DUP, but it began successful 1985 erstwhile helium was elected for the UUP to correspond the South Down constituency successful the 1980s iteration of the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Before his election, helium had worked for South Down MP Enoch Powell who had joined the Ulster Unionists from the Conservatives successful the 1970s.
In 1997, erstwhile his brag James Molyneaux retired arsenic the Lagan Valley MP, Donaldson retained the spot comfortably for the UUP.
But his unhappiness with the enactment became evident arsenic governmental negotiations astatine Stormont moved towards the signing of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.
He became 1 of the UUP's biggest critics of the woody implicit issues similar the IRA's decommissioning of weapons, informing his person David Trimble against supporting it.
Even aft the agreement, and the archetypal power-sharing authorities was formed successful its wake, helium continued to airs problems for the enactment and supported failed bids by others to oust Trimble from office.
In 2003, helium discontinue and defected to the DUP.
Later that aforesaid year, the DUP replaced the UUP arsenic the biggest enactment successful the Northern Ireland Assembly. It has remained the biggest enactment successful unionism ever since.
Donaldson rapidly roseate done the DUP's ranks, nary longer a person of protestation but a cardinal fig successful the party's concatenation of command, processing a estimation arsenic a beardown media performer and policymaker.
Parliamentary personality
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Jeffrey Donaldson with long-time DUP person Ian Paisley
Donaldson was an MP for 27 years. It was successful aboriginal 2024 that helium gave a rousing code to the Commons that immoderate adjacent regarded arsenic the code of his life.
Just weeks earlier helium did the woody to pb his enactment backmost into power-sharing authorities successful Northern Ireland, helium revealed successful Westminster that he had been facing threats and deed retired astatine "stirring up" from those opposed to his efforts.
It was a passionate infinitesimal successful an different little colourful Parliamentary career, which a erstwhile UUP manager of communications said was characterised by his cognition of "how to play the crippled successful Westminster".
"You whitethorn not ever person known wherever helium stood connected an contented oregon however hard helium would combat for it," said Alex Kane, who worked astatine the Northern Ireland Assembly betwixt 1999 and 2010.
"But helium was affable and ever consenting to perceive and spell and person uncomfortable conversations."
Another cardinal parliamentary infinitesimal came successful 2017, erstwhile the DUP, with Donaldson arsenic its main whip, signed a confidence-and-supply deal to prop up Theresa May's Conservative number authorities successful 2017.
The DUP's Westminster votes were important to keeping May successful authorities aft she mislaid her parliamentary bulk successful the wide predetermination aboriginal that year, but overmuch changed erstwhile Boris Johnson entered Downing Street.
The DUP anticipation that helium would present an statement for unionists appeared misguided, with their MPs incapable to transportation him to scrap the Irish Sea border.
They were accused of wasting their power implicit the government, which past disappeared wholly erstwhile Boris Johnson won a drawback wide predetermination successful December 2019.
From main whip to DUP leader
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Jeffrey Donaldson mislaid a enactment contention to Edwin Poots but became person aboriginal anyway
The bulk of his years successful the DUP were creaseless compared to the UUP spats that prompted his departure.
But, successful 2021, Donaldson was thrust into his ain conflict for the psyche of the DUP, aft Arlene Foster was unexpectedly ousted arsenic leader.
He went head-to-head with Edwin Poots for the apical job, with Donaldson losing by 2 votes.
The effect sparked a large divided successful the enactment with immoderate pro-Donaldson councillors quitting successful protest.
He presented himself arsenic a unifying fig and 2nd clip astir helium was unopposed and unanimously supported by the party's ruling executive.
His archetypal trial of enactment came conscionable months later.
Under increasing unit from unionist rivals implicit caller post-Brexit commercialized arrangements for Northern Ireland, Donaldson warned successful September 2021 helium could retreat his enactment from power-sharing authorities unless the UK and EU met immoderate of its demands.
Critics and sceptics derided the DUP person arsenic issuing a hollow warning, but helium followed done connected the menace six months later.
It quelled unit from immoderate of his unionist rivals and, arsenic a governmental strategy to bargain time, it paid off.
Donaldson besides came successful for idiosyncratic criticism.
After promising helium would permission his MP relation and instrumentality to the assembly, helium alternatively co-opted Emma Little-Pengelly into his spot successful Lagan Valley, saying his enactment successful Westminster was not finished.
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Jeffrey Donaldson, pictured with Emma Little-Pengelly (left) and Gavin Robinson (right), led the DUP backmost into power-sharing successful aboriginal 2024
Donaldson continued to property the authorities connected the party's demands for post-Brexit arrangements successful Northern Ireland.
However, arsenic Northern Ireland staggered connected without a power-sharing government, that October Donaldson began to marque affirmative noises astir the value of devolution - a motion of wherever helium saw the enactment yet returning.
It would instrumentality 3 much months earlier the woody was done, putting his governmental skills nether the microscope similar ne'er before.
Pressure was everyplace – from governmental parties who wanted to spot the DUP backmost successful government; grassroots loyalists who were urging the DUP to "stand firm"; and from unionist rivals sceptical of what the DUP person claimed to person negotiated.
With the woody done and his enactment backmost successful Stormont, the last triumph thigh saw Donaldson successful Washington DC for St Patrick's Day, a person liberated aft 2 turbulent years.
What happened weeks aboriginal would plunge his enactment backmost into a play of unprecedented turbulence.
In the contiguous aftermath of Donaldson's apprehension and charges, shellshocked DUP members and elder leaders had to negociate his suspension, portion besides processing the accusations against a antheral galore had regarded arsenic a adjacent workfellow and friend.
Months aboriginal the enactment besides had to combat a wide predetermination campaign, selling the woody Donaldson had helped to create.
The party's caller leader, Gavin Robinson, who had been a confidante of Donaldson, chose his connection carefully, saying determination should person been much "cautious realism" astir promoting the deal.
The DUP mislaid 3 seats successful the 2024 General Election. Many successful the enactment pointed to Donaldson's autumn from grace undoubtedly having an interaction erstwhile it came to knocking doors successful the lead-up to polling day.
Now, the DUP has until 2027 earlier the adjacent assembly predetermination is due, truthful determination is inactive clip to recover.
But the spectre of his demise volition proceed to haunt the enactment helium erstwhile led.
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