The former leader of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), Doug Beattie, is expected to be ‘deselected’ as the party’s candidate in Upper Bann.
According to the BBC, the local association will select councillor Kyle Savage at a meeting in June.
Beattie is expected to stand for election to the Assembly next year, either as an independent candidate or for another party.
Alan Chambers, MLA for North Down, has also been told not to put his name forward.
A party spokesperson told the BBC: “All candidate selection activity within the Ulster Unionist Party is governed by its rules and standing orders.
“The party appreciates that its internal procedures may, on occasion, attract outside interest.
“However, it would not be appropriate for the party to offer comment on the details of matters of this nature.”
Doug Beattie was first elected to the Assembly in 2016. In 2021, he was elected as UUP leader after Steve Aiken’s resignation.
His resignation came in August 2024 after he stated ‘irreconcilable differences’ between him and party officers – a clear indicator of a fallout. He did not support the co-option of Colin Crawford to the Assembly, instead he wanted Darry Wilson to take the seat.
Crawford resigned in June 2025, less than a year after he was co-opted, and Jon Burrows was selected to take his seat. Less than six months after becoming an MLA, Burrows became leader of the Ulster Unionist Party.
Wilson has since left the UUP and is now a DUP councillor on Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council.
