Further pressure on DUP as Carla Lockhart and Clement Cuthbertson quit party

THE Democratic Unionist Party is facing further internal difficulties following the departures of Upper Bann MP Carla Lockhart and Mid Ulster councillor Clement Cuthbertson, both of whom have resigned their party membership over concerns about its direction and response to recent political controversies.

The two resignations come amid continuing unionist anger over Sinn Féin's involvement in protests on the Garvaghy Road in Portadown, which prevented an Orange Order parade from proceeding along the predominantly nationalist route from Drumcree Church.

First Minister Michelle O'Neill, alongside other senior Sinn Féin figures, has been interviewed by police investigating the demonstrations. The circumstances surrounding the protest have prompted calls from within unionism for her to leave office.

However, it was the DUP leadership's response to the controversy that ultimately brought its disagreements with Mrs Lockhart into the open.

Ms Lockhart had urged party leader Gavin Robinson to withdraw Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly from her position at Stormont, a move she believed would force Mrs O'Neill from the joint First Minister's office.

The DUP instead opted for a more limited response, announcing that Mrs Little-Pengelly would no longer take part in joint public engagements with Mrs O'Neill. The party also said she would not give permission for the First Minister to undertake certain engagements on her own.

Ms Lockhart had already resigned from her position as a DUP party officer before announcing her departure from the party itself. In an open letter to colleagues, she described the withdrawal of the Deputy First Minister as the only credible option, warning that a graduated response would be insulting to those who had trusted the party to act.

Announcing her resignation with immediate effect, the Upper Bann MP said the DUP had been her political home for more than two decades and described leaving as a painful decision.

She confirmed that she would continue to represent Upper Bann at Westminster as an Independent Unionist.

In her statement, Ms Lockhart said her first responsibility remained to her constituents and that she would continue working for families and communities across the constituency.

She added that she could not stand by while, in her view, Sinn Féin ignored the rule of law and the promised consequences failed to materialise.

The DUP said it regretted her decision and thanked her for her service to the party and the people of Upper Bann.

In its response, the party said further division within unionism would benefit Sinn Féin, adding that while it shared the anger over Mrs O'Neill's actions, the disagreement was about the course of action best suited to securing accountability and serving Northern Ireland.

The departure also attracted a response from Traditional Unionist Voice leader Jim Allister, who congratulated Ms Lockhart. He said he understood the difficulty of leaving a party, having himself resigned from the DUP almost 20 years ago.

The controversy has also revived wider sensitivities surrounding the Drumcree dispute. The confrontation, which began in 1995, was one of the most bitter periods of parading-related tension in Northern Ireland. In 1998, three Catholic brothers, Richard, Mark and Jason Quinn, aged 10, nine and eight, were murdered in an attack by the UVF amid the wider tensions. Their deaths remain a particularly painful reminder of the human cost of the period.

Clement Cuthbertson's departure

Ms Lockhart's resignation was followed by the departure of Mid Ulster councillor Clement Cuthbertson, who has also left the DUP after almost 30 years of membership.

Mr Cuthbertson, who joined the party in 1996 and has represented the Dungannon area on Mid Ulster District Council since 2014, confirmed that he would continue in his council role as an Independent Unionist.

In explaining his decision, he pointed to what he described as a loss of confidence in the party's direction and its handling of recent political issues.

He was critical of the DUP's response to Mrs O'Neill's involvement in the Garvaghy Road protest, arguing that she should no longer remain First Minister and that the party's chosen course of action did not reflect the seriousness of the matter.

Mr Cuthbertson said the law should apply equally and that political leaders should be held accountable when their conduct brings the institutions into disrepute.

However, he also made clear that accountability should not come at the expense of public services or lead to unnecessary disruption to government. Referring to Ms Lockhart's position, he said the legal arrangements in place meant that removing the First Minister would not necessarily have resulted in the collapse of Stormont.

His concerns were not confined to the Drumcree controversy. Mr Cuthbertson also raised the issue of the Irish Sea arrangements, claiming that unionist people had been misled over the matter.

He referred, too, to his suspension from the council last year after speaking out, saying he felt the party had offered little support and had continued to hold the issue against him.

Thanking those across the Dungannon area who had supported him, he said his decision to leave the DUP did not represent a change in his unionist beliefs.

He intends to continue representing local people as an Independent Unionist councillor, saying his commitment to the Dungannon area remained unchanged.

Mr Cuthbertson said he hoped the move would give him renewed energy to continue working on behalf of the communities he represents. He has indicated that he does not intend to comment further publicly on the matters raised in his resignation statement.