The DUP’s improbable duo may not last too long

Edwin Poots, the new DUP party leader, does not want to be First Minister in the Assembly, and his nominee Paul Givan’s main qualification for the job would appear to be that he is a Poots sidekick of long standing

DUP leader Edwin Poots (right) during a press conference at Stormont with First Minister designate Paul Givan. Picture: PA

The civil war within the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) continued to rage last week, with events to date perhaps only the opening skirmishes of a calamitous chapter that looks set to tear the party apart.

Rather than address existing divisions, last week’s reshuffle by Edwin Poots, the party’s new leader, only increased the levels of rancour and discontent.

Following a tumultuous period involving allegations of bullying, intimidation and misogyny, the announcement of a new DUP ...