Another DUP member resigns amid fall-out from Poots' leadership win

By Q Radio News

Another DUP member has resigned from the party.

Roberta McNally, the party secretary in Upper Bann, says she has informed her constituency of her intention to step down.

On a social media post, Ms. McNally said the final straw for her was the way the Executive meeting was conducted to ratify Edwin Poots as the new party leader.

Another DUP member has resigned from the party. Roberta McNally, the party secretary in Upper Bann, says she has informed her constituency of her intention to step down.https://t.co/df17fB28pJ

— Q Radio News (@qnewsdesk) June 8, 2021

Ms McNally said she "witnessed senior members telling people to put their hands down to enable to vote to be open" she said of a bid to hold a secret ballot at the meeting to give members a chance to cast their vote anonymously. 

"I am extremely sorry to say that I informed the Upper Bann Chairman of my resignation last night,” she added.

She is the latest member to hand in her resignation after a number of DUP members. including two councillors, quit the party over concerns about the direction it is taking under Edwin Poots.

Glyn Hanna and Kathryn Owen both resigned, along with other members in the South Down association.

At the Association's AGM on Saturday evening Mr. Hanna was removed as Chairman.

Speaking in a Spotlight programme, due to be broadcast tonight, Mr Poots described the resignations as "peripheral" but added: "I don't want to lose anybody from the party,"

He said: "I will be continuing to reach out to people to seek to ensure that we keep as many people as possible and to bring people into the party, and that's a course of work that we'll engage in because fundamentally the DUP is a collection of individuals, strong personalities but all of those personalities' number one focus is the maintenance of the union.”

He added: "We can't do that in a divided way."

(Mr Poots said the latest spate of resignations from the party are a "peripheral" issue)