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Northern Ireland First Minister Arlene Foster has said it is the right time to “move on and to do something different” amid reports that she will quit the Democratic Unionist Party after standing down as leader.
After five years at the helm, Ms Foster announced on Wednesday she would resign from the leadership role on May 28th and as the First Minister at the end of June.
It followed a heave against her from a significant majority of her party’s Assembly members and MPs, who signed a letter of no confidence in her leadership.
On Friday, BBC NI reported Ms Foster will also leave the party, to which she defected from the Ulster Unionist Party in 2004.
It is reported that Ms Foster no longer believes the DUP is the party she joined and that it is moving in a different direction. It is understood the Fermanagh South Tyrone MLA informed her constituency association on Thursday.
There is speculation she may join the House of Lords.
Visiting a primary school on the Ards peninsula in Co Down on Friday, Ms Foster said she would wait until she steps down as First Minister at the end of June before outlining her intention on whether she will leave the DUP altogether.
“It’s been a turbulent week, it’s been a week where I’ve had to make pretty big decisions,” she said. “But I think the time is right to move on and to do something different, and that’s what I’ll do.”
Appearing emotional as she spoke to reporters, Ms Foster said none of her DUP colleagues who moved to oust her have contacted her to explain why.
Politics was “brutal” but she was “at peace” with her decision to leave the local political scene in Northern Ireland, she said.
“I still haven’t seen the letter that was talked about so I presume I will see that at some stage,”she added.
Ms Foster’s sudden departure comes amid mounting unionist and loyalist anger over a de facto trade border in the Irish Sea as a result of Brexit, for which her party campaigned.
There are also internal party tensions between traditionalists and those regarded as having more moderate views.
‘Next chapter’
“Politics is a very brutal game. I think everybody knows that to be the case,” Ms Foster said. “I haven’t actually spoken to any of the colleagues who are purported to have signed the letters, they haven’t been in touch.
“So, you know, that’s a matter for them. I’ll move on and look forward and I’m looking forward to the next chapter as to what I’m going to do with my life.”
The First Minister said she hoped the DUP would continue to “look forward”.
“I joined a party that wanted to look forward, that wanted to build a Northern Ireland for everybody, that recognised that there were divisions in society and to try and deal with those divisions and to move Northern Ireland to a better place and I hope that’s the direction of the party that continues,” she said.
Ms Foster continued: “It was made clear to me by the number of people who felt that they wanted to sign the letter, which as I say I haven’t seen yet, that I didn’t have the support of my colleagues and when you don’t have the support of your colleagues you really can’t continue in the job as party leader.
“So the time is right to move on, to do something different and do something new and I’m very much looking forward to that challenge.”
Ms Foster made clear that some of her “very good friends” did not sign the letter of no confidence.
“I think you should also recognise that not everybody signed the letter, some very good friends did not. And I think you should note that as well,” she said.
The DUP leader added: “I haven’t really had any engagement from any of the colleagues who felt that I should leave, so I suppose that’s the disappointment - that I don’t actually know what the reason is for it, but, as I say, you know, that’s politics, all political careers have to come to an end, mine will come to an end at the end of June.”
Asked whether she would like to join the House of Lords, she said those decisions were not made by her.
She said she wished whoever leads the party well, but she would not be drawn on who she would be supporting in any leadership contest.
“I don’t know who the next leader of the party is going to be, I don’t know what their policies are going to be, undoubtedly we’ll hear more of that in the coming weeks, but I am simply saying to you that I hope that, as the largest party and as the largest unionist party, that is a positive message that we’re bringing forward to the future, because I think there’s a very positive story to tell,” she said.
Ms Foster said she hoped devolution was not at risk. “The future of Northern Ireland is very much tied up with devolution and being able to take those decisions locally, it’s very important,” she said.
New leadership
The North’s minister of agriculture Edwin Poots has announced he is to stand for the leadership of the DUP.
There is speculation that MP Jeffrey Donaldson will consider over the weekend whether he will challenge Mr Poots for the role.
However, as an MP he will not be able to assume the role of First Minister.
Observers have suggested the possibility of a joint leadership, with Mr Donaldson leading the party from Westminster and Mr Poots leading at Stormont.
MP Gavin Robinson has also been mentioned as a potential challenger.
Economy minister Diane Dodds declined to be drawn on her future as a minister following Ms Foster’s resignation.
“Well, you know, everyone serves at the discretion of the leader and I accept and respect that,” she said. “For now I will continue to do my job as the economy minister to set about helping the economy to recover and rebuild and reboot.”
Ms Dodds paid tribute to the outgoing DUP leader. “Arlene has always been a great defender of unionism and leader of the party and First Minister of Northern Ireland,” she said. “The party will now set about the process of electing its new leader and after that it is an internal party matter and we will continue that process next week.”
Ms Dodds insisted any new leader would need to appeal to a “broad” range of unionists.
“That new leader will have to have a broad coalition of support for the union, and will have to build that broad coalition of support for the union within Northern Ireland. And of course we know that they will be able to do that,” she said. – Additional reporting from PA