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Mike Nesbitt to step down as UUP leader

Mike Nesbitt will leave UUP leadership but may stay as health minister until 2027 assembly elections, citing the difficulty of managing both roles, party says.

  • On Friday, Mike Nesbitt announced he will stand down as leader of the Ulster Unionist Party after informing MLAs and party officers.
  • Nesbitt said several months ago he would decide `in fairness to whoever might be coming in`, citing inability to commit to party leadership responsibilities while running the health department.
  • Deputy leader Robbie Butler, from the liberal wing, would represent continuity, while Jon Burrows, MLA co-opted to replace Colin Crawford in north Antrim, appears eager; if both run, it would trigger the first UUP leadership contest since 2012.
  • The Ulster Unionist Party confirmed it will begin the successor selection process, and Lord Elliott of Ballinamallard, chairman, thanked Mike Nesbitt for decades of service.
  • Despite stepping down, Mike Nesbitt wants to remain Health Minister until the next assembly elections, but that will depend on his successor, creating an unusual governance dynamic.
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19 Articles

Evening StandardEvening Standard
+9 Reposted by 9 other sources
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Mike Nesbitt to step down as UUP leader

The Strangford MLA is the first person to lead the party twice.

·London, United Kingdom
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  • 58% of the sources are Center
58% Center

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Belfast Telegraph broke the news in Belfast, United Kingdom on Friday, January 2, 2026.
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