Colum Eastwood has today announced that he is stepping down as leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP).
He will remain in post until the party conference on 5 October, when his replacement will be installed.
The MP for Foyle first came to light in politics when he was the Mayor of Derry City Council between 2010 and 2011.
He was then elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly and served in Stormont until 2019 when he was elected as an MP, with a majority of 17,000.
Eastwood defeated the incumbent leader Alasdair McDonnell in 2015 to become the sixth leader of the SDLP – and the youngest.
The SDLP’s group at Stormont and their MPs are the only people eligible to put their name forward for the leadership.
It is widely expected that Claire Hanna MP will take over as leader, with unanimous backing from the SDLP MLAs, first reported by the Belfast Telegraph.
First elected to the Assembly in 2015 and then to the House of Commons in 2019, she is a popular figure within the party.
Another potential contender could be the current leader of the opposition, Matthew O’Toole. He leads the party’s group of MLAs in Stormont.
The SDLP held their two Westminster seats in the general election earlier this year, but in the 2022 Assembly election they lost four MLAs.
Party chairman Daniel McCrossan MLA said: “Thank you & best wishes to my friend, colleague & SDLP Leader Colum Eastwood as he announces his intention to step down as party leader on Oct 5th.”
“Colum Eastwood has dedicated his youth & adult life to the SDLP & people of Ireland. He will remain an important part of the leadership.”
He continued: “As party Chairman I have called a meeting of the SDLP Management Committee for this evening & asked for the process to elect a new SDLP leader begin.”
“On behalf of the Management Committee we thank Colum for his outstanding contribution to our party.”
