UUP's Mike Nesbitt to stand down as party leader
Mike Nesbitt has said he is stepping down as head of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) to allow the UUP to select a new politician to lead it into the next elections.
The Strangford MLA became UUP leader in 2024 for a second time after previous leader Doug Beattie quit following a dispute with party officers.
Mr Nesbitt, a former broadcast journalist, had previously been party leader between between 2012 and 2017 but quit following a difficult Assembly election result.
He is the first person to lead the party twice.
In a statement, he said: "The next five-year mandate stretches to May 2032, the month I hope to celebrate my 75th birthday.
"That's a commitment to full-time politics I just do not feel I can make.
"And I would not be comfortably seeking a vote knowing that privately I was intending to retire during the mandate.
"I retook the leadership to do a short-term job of getting the party match fit for the forthcoming election campaign.
"That job is now done so the time is right to select the politician who will lead us into the May 2027 polls promoting our brand of confident, responsible unionism."
