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UUP Leadership Contest Opens as Jon Burrows Enters Race With Diana Armstrong for Deputy

The member-led vote on January 31 follows a rapid timetable designed to give the party fresh direction before next year’s Assembly elections.

Overview

  • North Antrim MLA and former senior police officer Jon Burrows formally announced his leadership bid, urging a contested race to let members choose on ideas.
  • Fermanagh and South Tyrone MLA Diana Armstrong said she will seek the deputy role after being asked to serve on Burrows’s ticket.
  • The Ulster Unionist Party opened nominations for leader and deputy, with the window closing on January 15 and two members-only hustings set for this month.
  • An extraordinary general meeting on January 31 will elect the new leadership team, with Mike Nesbitt remaining in post until the vote.
  • Current deputy leader Robbie Butler is widely believed to be considering a leadership bid, though he has not formally declared.