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The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) has announced plans to engage an independent external body to create a confidential channel for individuals to share any information related to Jeffrey Donaldson’s time within the party. This decision follows the revelation last month that Donaldson was convicted on 18 counts of sexual abuse, including one count of rape, involving two women who were children at the time of the offences.
Jeffrey Donaldson, who previously led the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), was with the UUP from 1985 until 2003 before he switched allegiance to the DUP. In response to the allegations and convictions, the UUP stated that it intends to reassess its safeguarding policies to prevent similar cases in the future. Meanwhile, Donaldson’s legal representatives have declared their intention to appeal the convictions related to the sex offences.
In an official statement issued on Monday, a spokesperson for the UUP expressed that the party’s priority remains with the victims. UUP leader Jon Burrows has ordered a swift review aimed at uncovering any facts concerning Donaldson during his time in the party. This initial investigation reportedly found no records of complaints or concerns about Donaldson during his membership period. However, the party acknowledged that the absence of records does not definitively close the matter, particularly given the almost twenty years involved.
Consequently, the UUP is moving forward with establishing an independent and confidential process for investigating these issues in more depth. The party emphasized the importance of a comprehensive inquiry, with adequate authority, to determine if any knowledge about Donaldson’s actions existed across the entirety of his public political career. This approach reflects a commitment to transparency and accountability, recognizing that public trust depends on openness and learning from any lessons highlighted by this case. The DUP has also initiated a separate independent review into Donaldson’s tenure within their party.
Donaldson began his political career by being elected in 1985 as a UUP representative for the South Down constituency in the Northern Ireland Assembly. Prior to his election, he worked closely with South Down MP Enoch Powell, who had previously joined the Ulster Unionists after leaving the Conservative Party in the 1970s. When James Molyneaux, the longtime Lagan Valley MP, retired in 1997, Donaldson successfully retained the seat for the UUP.
However, disagreements grew between Donaldson and the UUP leadership, especially as discussions around the 1998 Good Friday Agreement unfolded. He emerged as one of the party’s most vocal opponents of the deal, expressing concerns about issues such as the IRA’s decommissioning of weapons and cautioning then-party leader David Trimble against backing the agreement. Even after the establishment of the power-sharing government post-agreement, Donaldson remained a disruptive force within the UUP, supporting efforts to remove Trimble from leadership. These tensions culminated in his departure from the UUP in 2003, when he defected to the DUP
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