Jon Burrows was officially ratified as the new leader of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) at an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) on Saturday.
Diana Armstrong was also confirmed as deputy leader of the party.
Burrows was the only MLA to put his name forward for the position after Mike Nesbitt announced he was stepping down.
The former police officer was co-opted to the Northern Ireland Assembly in August 2025. It’s his first time in politics but has impressed the party membership since being appointed.
Speaking at the Stormont Hotel on Saturday, he said he wants the UUP to be “the biggest party in unionism again”.
There have been rumblings that the Assembly group within the party are sceptical about their new leader, and there has been criticism from media commentators that there was no group photo taken at the event.
BBC News have reported that one UUP source told them: “I think it would be foolish to attempt a group photo let’s put it like that.”
Burrows will now have a difficult job of reuniting the party before the Assembly election in 2027. He has confirmed they will remain in the Executive with Mike Nesbitt staying in post as Health Minister.
Fermanagh and South Tyrone MLA, and new deputy leader, Diana Armstrong, will be leading an initiative to grow the number of women in the party.
She is currently the only female MLA within the group of nine.
“There are many women without a seat in Stormont, without a seat in local government, and I want those women to step forward and be part of this next chapter in the Ulster Unionist Party.
“There is a policy that will be put in place to bring more female membership and the qualities that women bring to decision-making in governance, and I welcome that work that will be ongoing,” she said.
