The DUP is facing fresh political turmoil after one of its most prominent MPs resigned from the party’s senior decision-making group, exposing growing divisions over Stormont and the leadership of Gavin Robinson.
Upper Bann MP Carla Lockhart announced on Thursday evening (22 October) that she had stepped down as a DUP Party Officer, a position she had held for five years.
Her resignation follows a bitter disagreement over how the DUP should respond to First Minister Michelle O’Neill’s involvement in protests against an Orange Order parade along the Garvaghy Road in Portadown.
However, the fallout now threatens to become a much wider problem for the party, with questions being raised about internal unity, Robinson’s authority and the DUP’s political direction ahead of the 2027 Assembly election.
Lockhart takes a stand
In a strongly worded statement, Lockhart said she could no longer remain involved in shaping the DUP’s direction while disagreeing with its approach.
She stated:
“I believe in standing true to my principles.”
Lockhart also confirmed that she had not intended to make her resignation public, alleging that somebody within the DUP had leaked the information to the media.
That allegation raises further questions about relationships within the party’s senior ranks, although the circumstances surrounding the disclosure have not been independently established.
The MP insisted that her focus would remain on representing Upper Bann and defending Northern Ireland’s position within the United Kingdom.
Importantly, Lockhart has not resigned from the DUP itself and remains one of its Westminster MPs.
Pressure mounting on Gavin Robinson
Perhaps the most politically damaging aspect of the controversy came when Lockhart was directly questioned about whether she had confidence in DUP leader Gavin Robinson.
Rather than offering him an explicit endorsement, she replied:
“I have confidence that the unionist people want action.”
Her response will inevitably fuel speculation about the relationship between the two senior DUP figures.
Speaking on BBC Northern Ireland’s The View, Robinson expressed regret at her resignation but insisted she remained an important member of the party.
He also confirmed that the DUP had reached an agreed position on its response to the Drumcree controversy.
Robinson has resisted calls to withdraw Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly from Stormont, arguing that such action could damage public services and penalise people who have done nothing wrong.
Lockhart, however, believes the DUP should take more decisive political action.
The disagreement highlights two competing approaches within unionism: maintaining stable government at Stormont or taking stronger action against Sinn Féin over the Garvaghy Road protests.
Could Stormont’s leadership be brought down?
At the centre of the disagreement is the position of First Minister Michelle O’Neill.
Lockhart has argued that withdrawing Emma Little-Pengelly from the joint First Minister and deputy First Minister office would also force O’Neill from her position.
Under Stormont’s arrangements, the two offices are interdependent.
However, removing the joint leadership would not automatically trigger an immediate Assembly election or bring every department to a halt. The parties would have time to nominate replacements under the current rules.
O’Neill and Sinn Féin president Mary Lou McDonald attended police interviews on Wednesday as part of the investigation into an unnotified protest on the Garvaghy Road.
The investigation remains ongoing, and no criminal wrongdoing has been established against either politician.
DUP already facing serious electoral pressure
The timing of this internal dispute could hardly be worse for the DUP.
The party has experienced a significant decline in support in recent opinion polls, while facing growing competition from both the Ulster Unionist Party and Traditional Unionist Voice.
The July 2026 LucidTalk poll produced the following results for Assembly voting intentions:
– Sinn Féin: 22%
– Ulster Unionist Party: 16%
– DUP: 15%
– SDLP: 13%
– Traditional Unionist Voice: 12%
– Alliance: 10%
Those figures placed the DUP behind the UUP for the first time in several years.
While the polling was conducted before the latest Drumcree controversy, it demonstrates the difficult electoral position facing Robinson.
The DUP currently holds 25 seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly, having secured 21.3% of first-preference votes in the 2022 election.
A continued decline in support could put some of those seats under pressure in 2027, particularly in constituencies where the party currently holds more than one MLA position.
The party also faces a difficult balancing act.
Taking a tougher position on Stormont could appeal to some voters considering the TUV, while maintaining stable government may be more attractive to others who are concerned about another political crisis.
Could this develop into a leadership challenge?
There is currently no confirmed attempt to remove Gavin Robinson as DUP leader, and Lockhart has not indicated that she intends to challenge him.
Nevertheless, the resignation of a senior figure from the party’s internal decision-making group is politically significant.
Only days before the announcement, Robinson had insisted that he and Lockhart were broadly on the same page over the need for consequences following the Drumcree protests.
Her resignation has now publicly demonstrated the extent of their disagreement.
The immediate question is whether other senior DUP representatives share her concerns and whether they will be prepared to voice them publicly.
Any further resignations or open criticism of the leadership could increase pressure on Robinson.
What happens next?
For now, Lockhart remains within the DUP, while Robinson continues to defend the party’s agreed strategy.
But the dispute has exposed a potentially damaging divide over one of the most sensitive issues facing unionism.
With the next Assembly election scheduled for 2027, the DUP cannot ignore the electoral risks associated with continued internal disagreement.
A party already competing with the UUP and TUV for unionist support now faces questions about its own unity.
Whether this is an isolated disagreement or the beginning of a wider challenge to Robinson’s leadership remains to be seen.
One thing is clear: Carla Lockhart’s resignation has moved the DUP’s internal disagreements firmly into the public spotlight, and the political fallout may be far from over.
ENDS