The Ulster Unionist Party has announced that it will appoint an ‘independent external organisation’ to allow people to share information about Jeffrey Donaldson’s time within the party.
Donaldson, who was convicted of 18 counts of sex abuse, including one count of rape, against two women when they were children, was a member of the Ulster Unionist Party from 1985 until 2003, when he joined the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP).
In a statement, the UUP say that party leader Jon Burrows “commissioned a rapid review as a preliminary step to establish the facts regarding Donaldson during his membership of the Party between 1985 and 2003.”
“That review found that no complaint or concern about Donaldson, whether formal or informal, was ever raised with the Party during that period. Nor has the Party, at any point, been contacted by the PSNI in connection with these matters.”
“As a Party, however, we recognise that the absence of a record does not mean there is nothing further to be established, particularly over a period of almost two decades. The rapid review was a first step, not the end of the matter.”
“That is why the Ulster Unionist Party will appoint an independent external organisation to provide a confidential route, entirely outside the Party, for anyone with information or concerns relating to Donaldson’s time in the Party to come forward. Details of the appointed organisation and its terms of reference will be published in due course. We will also ask the independent organisation to review the Party’s current safeguarding arrangements and recommend any improvements it considers necessary.”
Burrows has written to the PSNI Chief Constable to offer his support for a proactive public appeal to encourage other potential victims to come forward.
Jeffrey Donaldson entered politics in 1985 when he was elected in the South Down constituency to represent the Ulster Unionist Party. He worked for Enoch Powell MP before he ran for election himself.
He defected to the DUP in 2003 over long standing divisions over the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.
