Edwin Poots to attempt constituency switch for Stormont election
Mr Poots will be interviewed by party officers as part of the selection process on Friday evening, along with another candidate, Diane Forsythe.
Former DUP leader Edwin Poots will try to switch constituencies in the forthcoming Northern Ireland Assembly elections.
A party source has confirmed that Mr Poots, a current Lagan Valley MLA, will instead try to secure a seat in the South Down constituency.
Mr Poots, Stormont’s Agriculture Minister, was interviewed by party officers as part of the selection process on Friday evening, along with another candidate, Diane Forsythe.
Ms Forsythe is a former Westminster election candidate for the DUP and the daughter of a party councillor, Glyn Hanna.
Mr Poots arrived at Dundela House, the DUP party headquarters in East Belfast, just before 6pm.
Party leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson had arrived earlier, accompanied by East Belfast MP Gavin Robinson.
Mr Poots left shortly before 8pm without speaking to the media.
The party currently holds two seats in the constituency, belonging to Mr Poots and Stormont First Minister Paul Givan.
DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has signalled his intention to return to the Northern Ireland Assembly and is also expected to be a candidate in Lagan Valley.
A party source said the veteran current DUP MLA for South Down, Jim Wells, has not been selected as a candidate for May’s elections.
The South Down contest between Mr Poots and Ms Forsythe could risk reopening divisions within the party from last year.
Ms Forsythe, her father Mr Hanna, and another councillor, Kathryn Owen, were among those who left the party amid allegations of sexism and bullying.
However, Mr Poots’ leadership was to last only three weeks before an internal party revolt forced him to quit.
After Sir Jeffrey Donaldson replaced him as leader, Ms Forsythe, Mr Hanna and Ms Owen returned to the party.
