DUP leader Gavin Robinson has stated that it is clear there are former and current party members who possessed information about Jeffrey Donaldson's conduct that was not shared with the party. Robinson insisted that the DUP was not formally aware of any allegations against the former leader prior to his arrest in 2024.
Background and Conviction
Donaldson is in custody awaiting sentencing after being convicted last week of 18 serious sexual offences against children, including one count of rape. A jury at Newry Crown Court unanimously found the 63-year-old guilty for crimes committed against two women when they were children.
Subsequent media reports, including a BBC Spotlight investigation, have raised questions about how much was known within the DUP about Donaldson's conduct before his arrest. Spotlight reported that some senior DUP figures were aware of another woman who had raised concerns about Donaldson's behaviour but did not wish to make a formal complaint.
Revelations and Party Response
In the Spotlight programme, former North Antrim MP Ian Paisley stated that he informed Edwin Poots, then DUP leader and now Stormont Speaker, about the woman's concerns. Questions have also emerged about whether there was awareness that Donaldson allegedly engaged in private behaviour that, while legal, contradicted his public stances.
Speaking at Stormont, Robinson said: "As a party we were not aware of allegations that have subsequently come to light. I may only have been leader of this party for a short period of time, but I am convinced that that is the case for a longer period of time." He added: "It is clear there are a number of individuals, either former members of the Democratic Unionist Party, or current who did indicate publicly on Friday that they had information that they did not share."
Independent Review Announced
Robinson announced a "specialised and detailed independent review" into issues arising from Donaldson's conviction. The review will be conducted by an expert in child safeguarding and sexual exploitation. Robinson stated: "I want them to establish if members of my party had information which they did not share. I also want them to establish if there are people within my party who continue to hold information which they haven't yet felt able to share."
Robinson emphasised that the review must also examine the party's safeguarding policies, but noted that if individuals do not come forward to whistleblow, the policies cannot be utilised. He said: "It is my job to set our standards and what we have heard over the last number of days falls well below the standards that I hold and my colleagues hold for our party."
Political Reactions
First Minister Michelle O'Neill, of Sinn Féin, called for the DUP to provide full transparency, stating there appeared to be a "culture of double standards" within the party. She urged Speaker Edwin Poots to clarify what steps he took upon learning of the woman's concerns. O'Neill said: "I think since last week what we saw is a drip feed of who knew what, why, where, and who they told across the DUP, and it appears that there's been a culture of double standards."
Alliance Party leader Naomi Long criticised those who are now speaking out about Donaldson's past conduct, saying they should have done so at the time: "I have to say that those who are now taking this opportunity to settle old political scores... should be hanging their heads in shame. This is not a party political issue. This is an issue about protection of the vulnerable."
SDLP leader Matthew O'Toole said: "We need to understand from the DUP whether safeguarding processes were properly followed following complaints to senior DUP members." TUV leader Jim Allister expressed a "low level of confidence" in previous DUP reviews, warning that a review could be a "stalling tactic" if not truly independent.
