The Right Honourable Sir
Jeffrey Donaldson
MP
Official portrait, 2017
Leader of the Democratic Unionist Party
Assumed office
30 June 2021
DeputyPaula Bradley
Gavin Robinson
Preceded byEdwin Poots
Leader of the Democratic Unionist Party in the House of Commons
Assumed office
17 December 2019
LeaderArlene Foster
Edwin Poots
Himself
Preceded byNigel Dodds
Democratic Unionist Party Chief Whip in the House of Commons
In office
8 May 2015 – 17 December 2019
LeaderNigel Dodds
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded bySammy Wilson
Junior Minister at the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister
In office
26 February 2008 – 1 July 2009
Serving with Gerry Kelly
Preceded byIan Paisley Jr
Succeeded byRobin Newton
Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly
for Lagan Valley
In office
26 November 2003 – 14 June 2010
Preceded byPatrick Roche
Succeeded byPaul Givan
Member of Parliament
for Lagan Valley
Assumed office
1 May 1997
Preceded bySir James Molyneaux
Majority6,499 (14.3%)
Personal details
Born (1962-12-07) 7 December 1962
Kilkeel, Northern Ireland
NationalityBritish[1][2]
Political partyDemocratic Unionist Party
(since 2004)
Other political
affiliations		Ulster Unionist Party
(until 2003)
Spouse
Eleanor Cousins
​
(m. 1987)​
Children2
Alma materCastlereagh College
Military service
Allegiance United Kingdom
Branch/service British Army
RankCorporal
UnitUlster Defence Regiment

Sir Jeffrey Mark Donaldson (born 7 December 1962) is a British[1] politician who has served as leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) since June 2021. He has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Lagan Valley since 1997, and leader of the DUP in the UK House of Commons since 2019. As of 2022, he is Northern Ireland's longest-serving MP.

Donaldson was a member of the Orange Order and served in the Ulster Defence Regiment during the Troubles. He was also the campaign manager for the UUP MP Enoch Powell's successful re-election campaigns in 1983 and 1986. He was the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) candidate for Lagan Valley at the 1997 general election, and was elected as an MP to the House of Commons. He simultaneously represented the same constituency as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) in the Northern Ireland Assembly from 2003 to 2010. Donaldson is known for his opposition to UUP leader David Trimble's support of the Good Friday Agreement during the Northern Ireland peace process, especially from 1998 to 2003.[3] In 2003, Donaldson resigned from the UUP, becoming a member of the DUP in the following year.

Donaldson served in the Northern Ireland Executive from 2008 to 2009 as a Junior Minister for First Minister Peter Robinson. After Nigel Dodds lost his seat at the 2019 general election, Donaldson became the DUP Westminster leader. He was a candidate in the May 2021 Democratic Unionist Party leadership election, losing to Edwin Poots.[4] After Poots resigned the following month, Donaldson was elected unopposed to succeed Poots in the June DUP leadership election; he was confirmed in the post by the party's ruling executive on 30 June.[5] He was once again elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly in the 2022 Assembly election, but he subsequently chose to remain as a Westminster MP and not take up his seat.[6]

Early life

Donaldson was born in Kilkeel, County Down, in Northern Ireland, where he was the oldest of five boys and three girls.[7] He attended Kilkeel High School, where he excelled at debating,[8] then Castlereagh College. At the age of sixteen he joined the Orange Order, and then the Ulster Unionist Party's Young Unionists.[7][9]

Two of Donaldson's cousins were killed by the Provisional Irish Republican Army while serving in the Royal Ulster Constabulary: Sam Donaldson was killed in 1970[10] and Alex Donaldson, a Chief Inspector, died in a mortar attack on a Newry police station in 1985.[9]

Donaldson served with the Kilkeel company of the 3rd Battalion Ulster Defence Regiment (3 UDR),[9] where he was later promoted to corporal.[11]

Donaldson worked as an insurance broker in the 1980s.[12]

Political career

From 1982 to 1984 he was the constituency agent for the Ulster Unionist MP Enoch Powell,[7] managing Powell's successful re-election campaigns in 1983 and 1986.[9] He then worked as personal assistant to the UUP leader James Molyneaux until Molyneaux retired from politics in 1997.[3]

Entering politics

In October 1985, at the age of 22, following the death of Raymond McCullough, Donaldson was elected with a large majority in a by-election to the Northern Ireland Assembly to represent South Down.[13] In April 1986 Donaldson partook in a unionist demonstration attempting to blockade a conference of the Ulster Teachers' Union held in Newcastle, County Down, in protest at the Anglo-Irish Agreement.[13] Demonstrators blocked teachers' cars and scuffled with the police; at one point protestors broke through police lines and attacked Education Minister Brian Mawhinney's car with flag poles. After further violence arrests were made. Donaldson told reporters afterward "What we're saying to Brian Mawhinney here today is that he may think that he is an Ulsterman but the people of Ulster... want no part of a man who has betrayed the people of Ulster." Mawhinney labelled the protestors "thugs".[13] In June that year after Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Tom King ordered the dissolution the Assembly, Donaldson was one of twenty-one unionist representatives who refused to leave the chamber at Stormont and was eventually physically removed from the building by the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC).[14]

In 1996 he was first-placed candidate on the UUP list for the Northern Ireland Forum elections, virtually guaranteeing him a seat. Donaldson, by this time serving as Assistant Grand Master of the Orange Order, was a prominent figure in the ongoing Drumcree conflict over a yearly loyalist parade in the town of Portadown. He justified unionist demonstrators cutting off Belfast International Airport by saying "in a democracy people have the right to protest and unfortunately some people get inconvenienced".[15] This led to his selection in January 1997 as a candidate for the Westminster Parliament; he was elected at the 1997 general election as the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Lagan Valley constituency, succeeding James Molyneaux. At that time he was tipped as a potential future leader of the Ulster Unionist Party.[16][17]

Donaldson stated in Richard English's book, Armed Struggle, that because of a "deep sense of injustice that I felt had been perpetrated against my people and specifically against my family", he joined both the Ulster Defence Regiment and the Ulster Unionist Party at the age of 18 to oppose the IRA both militarily and politically.[18]

Role in the peace process

In 1998, Donaldson was in the Ulster Unionist Party's negotiating team for the Good Friday Agreement.[19] However, on the morning of the day the agreement was concluded on 10 April 1998, Donaldson walked out of the delegation.[20] He rejected some of the arrangements, notably the lack of a link between Sinn Féin's admittance to government and IRA decommissioning.[20]

Dissent with the UUP

Donaldson engineered several party council meetings in protest against David Trimble's policies. The council, however, backed Trimble's leadership, and on 23 June 2003, along with fellow MPs David Burnside and Martin Smyth, Donaldson resigned the Ulster Unionist whip at Westminster.[21] The MPs remained party members and in November 2003 Assembly election Donaldson was elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly for the UUP as an MLA for Lagan Valley.[22]

Following the success of the rival Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) in the same Assembly election of 2003, he reiterated his call for Trimble's immediate resignation,[23] but the party continued to back Trimble. On 18 December 2003 Donaldson, Norah Beare MLA and Arlene Foster announced their resignation from the UUP,[24] and on 5 January 2004 they announced that they had joined the DUP.[20][25]

After joining the DUP

Donaldson was returned to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom in the 2005 UK general election and in 2007 was appointed to the Privy Council of the United Kingdom, entitling him to the honorific style of The Right Honourable.[9] At the March 2007 Northern Ireland Assembly election, he was re-elected as an MLA for Lagan Valley.[26]

In July 2009, The Daily Telegraph reported that Donaldson had repaid £555 claimed for pay-to-view films in overnight hotel stays. In total, Donaldson submitted claim forms, including receipts, for 68 pay-to-view movies. The newspaper claimed "hotel sources confirmed that films he put on his expenses during 2004 and 2005 were in the highest price category offered to guests, covering the latest blockbusters and adult movies" although no evidence is offered that he did and Donaldson issued an official statement denying watching any content of an adult or pornographic nature.[27]

Donaldson was appointed to government by First Minister Peter Robinson, and held the position of Junior Minister in the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister from 2008 to 2009. Being also an MP, he lost his position due to the DUP's phasing out of "double jobbing".[28] Following his re-election to the House of Commons at the general election in May 2010, Donaldson stood down from the Northern Ireland Assembly on 10 June,[29] and was replaced on 16 June by Paul Givan.[29]

He was a member of the Public Bill Committee for the Defence Reform Act 2014.[30]

DUP leadership

On 3 May 2021, exactly 100 years from when Northern Ireland was effectively established,[31] Donaldson declared his candidacy for the leadership of the DUP to replace Arlene Foster.[4] On 14 May, he was defeated by Edwin Poots MLA, by 19 votes to 17.[32]

On 17 June, Poots resigned after only 21 days in post.[33] Poots had faced an internal revolt against his decision to proceed without delay to nominate Paul Givan as First Minister after Sinn Féin had reached an agreement with the Westminster government about an Irish Language Act.[33] The Belfast Telegraph described the events as "one of the most tumultuous days in the DUP's 50-year history".[34]

On 21 June, Donaldson declared his candidacy for the leadership of the DUP to replace Edwin Poots,[11] pledging to make the Northern Ireland Protocol his main priority.[35] He was the sole candidate.[3][36] The party's electoral college, which met on 26 June, endorsed him as leader-designate and he was confirmed in the post by the party's ruling executive on 30 June.[5]

In July 2021 Donaldson said in a UTV interview that he intended to resign his seat as a Westminster MP and become Northern Ireland First Minister before the 2022 Northern Ireland Assembly election, but also said that he did not yet know precisely how he would bring this about.[37]

On 23 August 2021, Prime Minister Boris Johnson appointed Donaldson as the UK's trade envoy to Cameroon, in addition to his role as the trade envoy to Egypt.[38]

It was announced on 24 August 2021, that Donaldson was planning to stand as a candidate for Lagan Valley in the Assembly election the following year, if he is unable to get co-opted to a vacant seat in the time leading up to the election.[39] Plans were drawn up to temporarily re-allow "double jobbing", which would have allowed Donaldson to be in the Assembly and remain an MP. However, these plans were dropped, so, if Donaldson becomes a member of the Assembly, he will cease to be an MP, triggering a by-election.[40] Donaldson was elected to the Assembly in the May 2022 election, but declined to take up his seat, with the party instead co-opting Emma Little-Pengelly. Donaldson said he would not take up his Assembly seat until the situation over the Northern Ireland Protocol is resolved.[41]

Views

Donaldson opposed the Good Friday Agreement (GFA).[42] He supported Brexit, but called for the Northern Ireland Protocol agreement between the UK and the EU in December 2020, which establishes a customs and regulatory border in the Irish Sea separating Northern Ireland from Great Britain, to be reformed or revoked.[42][43] Despite his earlier rejection of the GFA, he stated in January 2021 that the Protocol "actually undermines the Good Friday agreement".[44]

Donaldson has been accused of making anti-Catholic comments. In 2009, Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) deputy leader Alasdair McDonnell demanded an apology from Donaldson and a retraction of his claim that Catholics owed allegiance in the first instance to the Pope and the Holy See.[45]

In March 2019, Donaldson was one of 21 MPs who voted against LGBT inclusive sex and relationship education in English schools.[46][47] He opposes same-sex marriage in Northern Ireland, legalised by the British Government in December 2019.[42] Jeffrey Donaldson has repaid £555 to the House of Commons' fees office after charging dozens of pay-to-view movies to the tax payer.The former junior minister made claims for 68 pay-to-view movies at London hotels where he stayed in 2004 and 2005, according to the Daily Telegraph.[48]

Honours

Donaldson was sworn in as a member of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom in 2007. This allows him the Honorific Style "The Right Honourable" for life.

He was appointed Knight Bachelor in the 2016 Birthday Honours for political service.[49]

Personal life

On 26 June 1987, Donaldson married Eleanor Mary Elizabeth Cousins, with whom he has two daughters.[50]

He is a member of the mainstream Presbyterian Church in Ireland.[9][42]

Speaking of his national identity, Donaldson says that he is "Irish and British, Northern Irish and British, and British." He notes that he is a member of the Irish Presbyterian church, which is organised on an all-Ireland basis. He supports Ulster and Ireland in rugby, Lisnagarvey hockey club (which plays for Ireland), Ireland in cricket, and Northern Ireland in football. He describes his national identity as geographically Irish, but also as being "part of a wider group of nations that is British". He believes that there is no contradiction in identifying as Irish, Northern Irish and British.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 McClements, Freya (25 September 2021). "Jeffrey Donaldson: Talk of a united Ireland is 'premature' when the North is not united". The Irish Times. Dublin. ISSN 0791-5144. Archived from the original on 15 May 2022. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
  2. ↑ Donaldson, Jeffery [@J_Donaldson_MP] (23 March 2013). "... I am British. I was born British. My British citizenship is my birthright" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 18 December 2019 – via Twitter.
  3. 1 2 3 Andrews, Chris (22 June 2021). "DUP leadership: Sir Jeffrey Donaldson is only candidate". BBC News. Archived from the original on 23 June 2021. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  4. 1 2 Leebody, Christopher (3 May 2021). "Sir Jeffrey Donaldson 'enters race' to be DUP leader". Belfast Telegraph. Archived from the original on 5 May 2021.
  5. 1 2 "DUP leadership: Sir Jeffrey Donaldson ratified as party leader". BBC News. 30 June 2021. Archived from the original on 1 July 2021. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
  6. ↑ "Northern Ireland election results: DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson speaking after topping the poll in Lagan Valley". belfasttelegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 6 May 2022. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
  7. 1 2 3 McCormack, Jayne (22 June 2021). "Sir Jeffrey Donaldson: Who is the man set to be DUP's new leader?". BBC News. Archived from the original on 23 June 2021. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
  8. ↑ "Sir Jeffrey Donaldson: The Artful Dodger who became DUP leader". BBC News. July 2021. Archived from the original on 1 July 2021. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "About Jeffrey". Jeffrey Donaldson MP official site. Archived from the original on 23 June 2021.
  10. ↑ Toolis, Kevin (25 November 2000). "Kevin Toolis meets Unionist MP Jeffrey Donaldson". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 18 October 2015. Retrieved 12 June 2017.
  11. 1 2 "DUP leadership: Sir Jeffrey Donaldson confirms bid for top job". BBC News. 21 June 2021. Archived from the original on 23 June 2021. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  12. ↑ Sunday Tribune, 11 October 1987.
  13. 1 2 3 "Inside Ulster". BBC Rewinds.
  14. ↑ "Inside Ulster". BBC Rewinds.
  15. ↑ "Protest takes on surreal holiday camp atmosphere",Sunday Tribune, 10 July 1996.
  16. ↑ "Westminster Election 2001: Profile: Lagan Valley". RTÉ News. Archived from the original on 21 June 2004.
  17. ↑ Connolly, Maureen (2003). "Elections deepen crisis – 2003". permanentrevolution. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015.
  18. ↑ English, Richard. (2003) Armed Struggle: The History of the IRA, Oxford University Press, USA, p.373
  19. ↑ FitzGerald, Garret (2 September 1999). "What happened to Good Friday?". London Review of Books. 21 (17). Archived from the original on 27 April 2009.
  20. 1 2 3 "Donaldson's departure from party". BBC News. 18 December 2003. Archived from the original on 16 March 2004. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
  21. ↑ "UUP rebels to face discipline". BBC News. 26 June 2003. Archived from the original on 15 January 2014.
  22. ↑ "Candidates elected to The Northern Ireland Assembly". Electoral Office for Northern Ireland. 26 November 2003. Archived from the original on 20 March 2021.
  23. ↑ Kelly, Gary (2 December 2003). "Paisley pledges to play 'positive role' in North". Irish Examiner. Cork. Archived from the original on 23 June 2021.
  24. ↑ "Donaldson resigns from UUP". BBC News. 18 December 2003. Archived from the original on 23 December 2003. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
  25. ↑ Tempest, Matthew (5 January 2004). "Ulster Unionist rebels defect to DUP". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 28 June 2021. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
  26. ↑ "NI Assembly Election 2007 – Results". Electoral Office for Northern Ireland. 2007. Archived from the original on 1 April 2017.
  27. ↑ Prince, Rosa; Allen, Nick; Hope, Christopher (4 July 2009). "Telegraph: MPs' expenses: Jeffrey Donaldson repays £555 claimed for pay-to-view films in hotel". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 22 January 2018. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  28. ↑ "Ben Lowry: The double jobbing ban hasn't helped Northern Ireland politics, if anything it has made it worse". The News Letter. Belfast. 11 May 2019. Archived from the original on 23 June 2021.
  29. 1 2 "New DUP MLA attends assembly". BBC News. 16 June 2010. Archived from the original on 16 September 2010. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
  30. ↑ "House of Commons Public Bill Committee on the Defence Reform Bill 2013–14". UK Parliament. 2013. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013.
  31. ↑ Kearney, Vincent (3 May 2021). "Northern Ireland established 100 years ago today". RTÉ News. Archived from the original on 5 May 2021.
  32. ↑ Hogan, Laura (14 May 2021). "Edwin Poots to succeed Foster as new DUP leader". RTÉ News. Archived from the original on 16 May 2021. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
  33. 1 2 "DUP leader Edwin Poots resigns amid internal party revolt". BBC News. 17 June 2021. Archived from the original on 18 June 2021. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  34. ↑ Hewitt, Ralph (17 June 2021). "Edwin Poots to step down as DUP leader just three weeks after taking the role". Belfast Telegraph. Archived from the original on 23 June 2021. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
  35. ↑ Hutton, Brian (21 June 2021). "Jeffrey Donaldson confirms he is to run for leadership of DUP". The Irish Times. Dublin. ISSN 0791-5144. Archived from the original on 23 June 2021. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  36. ↑ McCambridge, Jonathan (22 June 2021). "Sir Jeffrey Donaldson to become next leader of the DUP". Belfast Telegraph. Press Association. Archived from the original on 23 June 2021. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  37. ↑ "Paul Givan to stay on as first minister 'until later this year'". The Irish News. Belfast. 6 July 2021. Archived from the original on 6 July 2021. Retrieved 10 July 2021. Paul Givan is set to remain as First Minister for the summer when Sir Jeffrey Donaldson announces changes later within his party at the Stormont Assembly. Sir Jeffrey intends to stand down from his Westminster seat in Lagan Valley and take a place at Stormont. In a UTV interview on Monday evening, he said he hoped to do so "later this year" and take up the position of first minister before the next assembly election. However, he said he did not know yet exactly how he would make this happen.
  38. ↑ "PM announces new Trade Envoys to boost British business around the world". GOV.UK (Press release). 23 August 2021. Archived from the original on 23 August 2021. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
  39. ↑ "Sir Jeffrey Donaldson to run for Lagan Valley MLA seat". BBC News. 24 August 2021. Archived from the original on 8 September 2021. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  40. ↑ "Double jobbing: Plan to bring back dual mandate withdrawn, PM says". BBC News. 19 January 2022. Archived from the original on 27 January 2022. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
  41. ↑ "Little-Pengelly to take Donaldson's assembly seat". BBC News. 20 April 2020. Archived from the original on 12 May 2022. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
  42. 1 2 3 4 Tonge, Jonathan (11 May 2021). "DUP leadership election Q&A: all you need to know as Edwin Poots and Jeffrey Donaldson". The Conversation. Archived from the original on 1 June 2021.
  43. ↑ Madden, Andrew (13 January 2021). "Brexit: DUP's Donaldson accuses UK Government of failing to consider impact of Northern Ireland protocol". Belfast Telegraph. Archived from the original on 27 January 2021. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
  44. ↑ McCambridge, Jonathan (14 January 2021). "Sir Jeffrey Donaldson: Post Brexit trade disruption breaches the Good Friday Agreement". The News Letter. Belfast. Archived from the original on 21 January 2021.
  45. ↑ Keenan, Dan (28 March 2009). "DUP conflict of interest claim over fealty to pope angers SDLP". The Irish Times. Dublin. ISSN 0791-5144. Archived from the original on 18 November 2011. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
  46. ↑ "MPs vote for LGBT inclusive sex and relationship education from primary school". i (newspaper). 28 March 2019. Archived from the original on 30 March 2019.
  47. ↑ "Draft Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education and Health Education (England) Regulations 2019". CommonsVotes. 27 March 2019. Archived from the original on 29 March 2019.
  48. ↑ "DUP MP Jeffrey Donaldson repays £555 claimed for hotel pay-to-view films". Belfast Telegraph. Belfast. 6 July 2009. ISSN 0307-5664.
  49. ↑ "No. 61608". The London Gazette (Supplement). 11 June 2016. p. B2.
  50. ↑ "Donaldson, Rt Hon. Sir Jeffrey (Mark), (born 7 Dec. 1962), PC 2007; MP Lagan Valley, since 1997 (UU, 1997–2003, DUP, since 2004)". Who's Who. 2007. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U13906.
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