Upper Bann MP Carla Lockhart resigns from DUP over Drumcree response

Carla Lockhart, the MP for Upper Bann since 2019, has quit the Democratic Unionist Party in a dispute over its response to the Drumcree parading controversy, saying she will continue in the House of Commons as an independent unionist. The row stems from unionist anger at Sinn Féin's involvement in protests on Garvaghy Road, which blocked a contentious Orange Order parade from passing along the mainly nationalist street in Portadown, County Armagh. First Minister Michelle O'Neill and several other senior Sinn Féin figures have been interviewed by police investigating the demonstrations, and unionists have accused the party of acting unlawfully. Lockhart had urged the DUP to withdraw Stormont's deputy first minister from the joint office in order to force O'Neill out, writing in an open letter to colleagues last week that this was the "only one credible option" and that any "graduated response" would be "insulting to those who have trusted us". DUP leader Gavin Robinson stopped short of that course, and the party instead announced it would block official engagements involving O'Neill. In a statement posted on Facebook on Monday, Lockhart described her departure as a "sad day and a deeply personal decision" made "on a point of principle". "I cannot stand idly by whilst Sinn Féin wilfully ignores the rule of law and the promised profound consequences fail to materialise," she said. She added that her first responsibility remained to the people of Upper Bann and that she looked forward to working with "all shades of unionism, elected or not". O'Neill, the Sinn Féin vice president, has defended her involvement in the protests, saying it was the "right thing to do". The DUP said it regretted Lockhart's decision and thanked her for her service to the party and her work on behalf of the people of Upper Bann. "The only winner out of further divisions within unionism is Sinn Féin," the party said, adding that it shared the anger felt across unionism at O'Neill's actions but disagreed over the course of action that would secure accountability and best serve Northern Ireland. Traditional Unionist Voice leader Jim Allister congratulated Lockhart, saying that having himself resigned from the DUP almost 20 years ago he knew it was not an easy decision, but that "for honest politicians principle matters more than position". He claimed the DUP had chosen Michelle O'Neill over Carla Lockhart, described her departure as "a hopeful day for unionism" and said he looked forward to working closely with her. According to BBC News NI political editor Enda McClafferty, Lockhart had been on a collision course with the DUP leadership for weeks and, despite the backing of Portadown Orangemen and many unionists, became a lone voice within her party. Robinson retained the support of the DUP's officer and assembly teams, and was unwilling to gamble on collapsing the executive without a budget agreed or risk his party being blamed for a nurses' pay dispute strike. The resignation leaves the DUP with four MPs, down from the ten it once boasted, with seven months until the assembly election. The party has lost seats in the last two elections and is now losing representation between elections as well.