Edwin Poots was elected leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) for promising to transform Northern Ireland’s largest party and strengthen opposition on the border going down through the Irish Sea.
The Stormont Secretary of Agriculture Minister beat DUP MP Sir Jeffrey Donaldson in a two-man race to succeed Arlene Foster on Friday for the first leadership race since the party started.
With 19 votes to 17, he won an electorate made up of eight deputies from the Westminster DUP and 28 members of the Stormont Assembly. The narrow margin reflected a deep gulf in party leadership and could complicate Poot’s efforts to label his authority.
55-yr-old Poots is a a staunch Christian conservative and says that he will ensure the party grows.
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