{"id":673008,"date":"2026-11-02T20:52:13","date_gmt":"2026-11-02T20:52:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/673008\/"},"modified":"2026-11-02T20:52:13","modified_gmt":"2026-11-02T20:52:13","slug":"carla-lockhart-quits-dup-with-immediate-effect-over-partys-response-to-drumcree-dispute-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/673008\/","title":{"rendered":"Carla Lockhart quits DUP \u2018with immediate effect\u2019 over party\u2019s response to Drumcree dispute \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

Carla Lockhart has quit the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP<\/a>) \u201cwith immediate effect\u201d over the party\u2019s response to the Drumcree<\/a> parades dispute.<\/p>\n

In a move that had been expected for days, the Upper Bann MP posted a copy of her resignation to DUP leader Gavin Robinson<\/a> on social media on Monday evening.<\/p>\n

She confirmed she will continue to serve as an Independent unionist MP.<\/p>\n

A high-profile member of the party, Lockhart joined as a teenager. Her decision has been viewed as a hammer blow to the DUP as it leaves the party with four MPs in the House of Commons \u2013 compared with 10 in 2017. Sinn F\u00e9in<\/a> has seven abstentionist MPs.<\/p>\n

Lockhart \u2013 who had a stomping majority of more than 7,000 over her nearest Sinn F\u00e9in rival at the last Westminster election in 2024 \u2013 said she was leaving on a \u201cpoint of principle\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is with deep regret that I resign from the DUP parliamentary group and my membership of the party with immediate effect,\u201d she wrote.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe DUP has been my political home for more than two decades. This is a painful decision, reached after much reflection.\u201d<\/p>\n

The announcement comes 10 days after Lockhart resigned as DUP party officer in a row over her \u201cconcerns\u201d at the party\u2019s strategy to the Drumcree fallout.<\/p>\n

Lockhart objected to First Minister Michelle O\u2019Neill<\/a>\u2019s involvement \u2013 alongside other Sinn F\u00e9in members \u2013 in the Garvaghy Road protest in Portadown, which blocked Orangemen from walking down the mainly nationalist route from Drumcree church for the first time in 28 years.<\/p>\n

[\u00a0Sixty suspects identified by PSNI in investigation into Drumcree protestsOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

During the two-week standoff, Lockhart was a permanent presence in loyalist areas of the Co Armagh town, where she warned of \u201cprofound consequences\u201d in relation to O\u2019Neill\u2019s actions.<\/p>\n

She has repeatedly called for the party to withdraw Stormont\u2019s Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly<\/a> to force O\u2019Neill from the joint office and effectively collapse Stormont.<\/p>\n

At a rally in Portadown in support of the local Orangemen last month, she invoked Margaret Thatcher to demand O\u2019Neill\u2019s resignation.<\/p>\n

\u201cMichelle O\u2019Neill must go. That\u2019s where I stand and this lady\u2019s not for turning,\u201d she told thousands of supporters.<\/p>\n

However, Robinson has stopped short of Lockhart\u2019s demands and instead opted for a \u201cgraduated response\u201d, with Little-Pengelly no longer participating in joint public appearances or official events alongside O\u2019Neill, including this Sunday\u2019s Remembrance ceremonies.<\/p>\n

[\u00a0Newton Emerson: There is now serious talk about the end of the DUPOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

In an open letter to DUP colleagues last week, Lockhart said the removal of the Deputy First Minister was the only \u201ccredible option\u201d and any kind of \u201cgraduated response\u201d was \u201cinsulting to those who have trusted us\u201d.<\/p>\n

In a statement on Monday evening, the DUP said it regretted Lockhart\u2019s decision.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe thank her for her service to the party and recognise her work on behalf of the people of Upper Bann. The only winner out of further divisions within unionism is Sinn F\u00e9in. We share the anger felt across unionism at Michelle O\u2019Neill\u2019s actions. Our disagreement is over the course of action that will secure accountability and best serve Northern Ireland.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Carla Lockhart has quit the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) \u201cwith immediate effect\u201d over the party\u2019s response to the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":673009,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[48512,26189,57346,26188,42,3659,43,103173,18254,3415,40,38,41,39],"class_list":["post-673008","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-armagh","tag-democratic-unionist-party","tag-emma-little-pengelly","tag-gavin-robinson","tag-headlines","tag-michelle-o-neill","tag-news","tag-northern-ireland-assembly","tag-orange-order","tag-sinn-fein","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/673008","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=673008"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/673008\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/673009"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=673008"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=673008"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=673008"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}