- Enda McClafferty & Julian O'Neill
- BBC News NI
Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has resigned as leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) after being charged with rape and other historic sex offences.
A 57-year-old woman has also been charged with aiding and abetting in connection with the charges.
The pair were arrested by PSNI detectives on Thursday morning and questioned before being charged on Thursday night.
Sir Geoffrey said he intended to vigorously fight the charges.
He and the 57-year-old woman are scheduled to appear in court next month.
BBC News understands that Sir Jeffrey has been charged with rape and a number of other sex offences.
The DUP said in a statement: “The party chairman has received a letter from Sir Geoffrey Donaldson MP confirming that he has been charged with allegations of a historical nature and stating that he will resign as leader of the Democratic Unionist Party with immediate effect.” Stated.
“In accordance with party regulations, party officials have suspended Mr. Donaldson's membership in the party pending the outcome of the judicial process.
“Party executives this morning unanimously appointed Gavin Robinson MP as interim leader.”
Sir Jeffrey's letter to the DUP says it will vigorously contest the charges.
Police issued a statement Friday morning, but did not reveal the identities of those charged.
The statement said a 61-year-old man was charged with a “non-recent sexual offence”, adding that a 57-year-old woman was also arrested at the same time and charged with “aiding and abetting further offences”.
The statement also confirmed that the pair will appear at Newry Magistrates Court on April 24.
The police investigation is believed to have begun in recent months after two women came forward.
DUP officials are said to have met on Friday morning after details of the charges emerged.
Sir Jeffrey's social media accounts, including X, were deleted overnight.
Sir Geoffrey Donaldson was elected leader of the DUP in 2021.
He was first elected in 1997 and is Northern Ireland's longest-serving MP.
Sir Jeffrey recently ended a two-year boycott of the Stormont facility and steered the party back into the Northern Ireland government.
The DUP had left the government in protest against the Northern Ireland Protocol, arguing that the post-Brexit deal had undermined its standing in the UK.
Sir Geoffrey was first elected to Parliament in 1997 as a representative of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP).
In 2003, following long-standing opposition to the Good Friday Agreement and David Trimble's leadership, he announced he was leaving the UUP and later joined the DUP.
He was knighted for political services in 2016.