Sir Jeffrey Donaldson steps down as DUP’s leader after being charged with historical sexual offences
Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has stepped down as leader of the Democratic Unionist Party with immediate effect after he was charged with historical sexual offences.
In a statement, the DUP said: “The party chairman has received a letter from Sir Jeffrey Donaldson MP confirming that he has been charged with allegations of an historical nature and indicating that he is stepping down as leader of the Democratic Unionist Party with immediate effect.
“In accordance with the party rules, the party officers have suspended Mr Donaldson from membership, pending the outcome of a judicial process.
“The party officers have unanimously appointed Mr Gavin Robinson MP as the interim party leader.”
It is understood Donaldson will be “strenuously contesting” all charges against him.
He has led the party since 2021, but has been the MP for Lagan Valley since 1997.
Prior to joining the DUP, he was part of the Ulster Unionist Party’s delegation to negotiate the Good Friday Peace agreement.
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It comes after the Police Service of Northern Ireland said a man had been charged with non-recent sex offences.
A PSNI spokesman said: “Detectives from the Police Service of Northern Ireland arrested and charged a 61-year-old man for non-recent sexual offences.
“A 57-year-old woman was also arrested and charged at the time for aiding and abetting additional offences.”
Both are due to appear before Newry Magistrates’ Court on 24 April.
An inauspicious end to a decades-long career
The DUP has weathered many storms, but this is a political earthquake for the party.
Sir Jeffrey Donaldson’s departure under a cloud will have ramifications in both the short-term and long-term.
It will rock the newly established power-sharing government, of which the DUP forms one half.
And maintaining its seats at Westminster in the upcoming general election will be a mountain for the party to climb.
The DUP is well known for its conservative views on social issues like same-sex marriage.
Any whiff of impropriety, never mind alleged offence, leaves it open to allegations of hypocrisy.
In 2010, DUP leader Peter Robinson stepped down briefly as first minister when his wife confessed to an extra-marital affair.
Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has not only resigned but had his party membership suspended, pending the outcome of the judicial process.
It’s an inauspicious end to the political career of Northern Ireland’s longest-serving member of parliament.
Donaldson came to national prominence for his part in the confidence and supply agreement which propped up Theresa May’s government with DUP support following the 2017 election.
But the DUP ended up voting against Mrs May’s deal – and ultimately her government collapsed.
He became leader of the party in Westminster in 2019, and took overall control in 2021.
Michelle O’Neill, the Sinn Fein first minister of Northern Ireland, said: “My priority is to continue to provide the leadership the public expect and deserve, and to ensure the four-party executive coalition delivers for the whole of our community now and in the future.
“The DUP leader has resigned after being charged with serious offences.
“This is now a matter for the criminal justice system.”
Mr Robinson, who has taken over the reins of the party on an interim basis, became the DUP deputy leader in June 2023.
Gavin Robinson MP. Pic: PA
He joined the Commons in 2015, having previously been lord mayor of Belfast, and a councillor for the city.
Conservative MP and former Northern Ireland Secretary Julian Smith said Mr Robinson’s selection was a “very positive decision”.
He added that Mr Robinson had “played a key role in a tough negotiation to restore powersharing and along with other DUP colleagues will chart a positive course for the future”.
It is understood Donaldson remains an MP.
A spokesperson for the House of Commons said: “We are aware of the announcement by the police, but will not be commenting on individual cases.”
Crypto-friendly billionaire investor Bill Ackman is considering the possibility that US President Donald Trump may pause the implementation of his controversial proposed tariffs on April 7.
“One would have to imagine that President Donald Trump’s phone has been ringing off the hook. The practical reality is that there is insufficient time for him to make deals before the tariffs are scheduled to take effect,” Ackman, founder of Pershing Square Capital Management, said in an April 5 X post.
Trump may postpone tariffs to make more deals, says Ackman
“I would, therefore, not be surprised to wake up Monday with an announcement from the President that he was postponing the implementation of the tariffs to give him time to make deals,” Ackman added.
On April 2, Trump signed an executive order establishing a 10% baseline tariff on all imports from all countries, which took effect on April 5. Harsher reciprocal tariffs on trading partners with which the US has the largest trade deficits are scheduled to kick in on April 9.
Ackman — who famously said “crypto is here to stay” after the FTX collapse in November 2022 — said Trump captured the attention of the world and US trading partners, backing the tariffs as necessary after what he called an “unfair tariff regime” that hurt US workers and economy “over many decades.”
Following Trump’s announcement on April 2, the US stock market shed more value during the April 4 trading session than the entire crypto market is currently worth. The fact that crypto held up better than the US stock market caught the attention of both crypto industry supporters and skeptics.
Source: Cameron Winklevoss
Prominent crypto voices such as BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes and Gemini co-founder Cameron Winklevoss also recently showed their support for Trump’s tariffs.
Related: Trump tariffs squeeze already struggling Bitcoin miners — Braiins exec
Ackman said a pause would be a logical move by Trump — not just to allow time for closing potential deals but also to give companies of all sizes “time to prepare for changes.” He added:
“The risk of not doing so is that the massive increase in uncertainty drives the economy into a recession, potentially a severe one.”
Ackman said April 7 will be “one of the more interesting days” in US economic history.
Magazine: New ‘MemeStrategy’ Bitcoin firm by 9GAG, jailed CEO’s $3.5M bonus: Asia Express
Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin, marks their 50th birthday amid a year of rising institutional and geopolitical adoption of the world’s first cryptocurrency.
The identity of Nakamoto remains one of the biggest mysteries in crypto, with speculation ranging from cryptographers like Adam Back and Nick Szabo to broader theories involving government intelligence agencies.
While Nakamoto’s identity remains anonymous, the Bitcoin (BTC) creator is believed to have turned 50 on April 5 based on details shared in the past.
According to archived data from his P2P Foundation profile, Nakamoto once claimed to be a 37-year-old man living in Japan and listed his birthdate as April 5, 1975.
Source: Web.archive.org
Nakamoto’s anonymity has played a vital role in maintaining the decentralized nature of the Bitcoin network, which has no central authority or leadership.
The Bitcoin wallet associated with Nakamoto, which holds over 1 million BTC, has laid dormant for more than 16 years despite BTC rising from $0 to an all-time high above $109,000 in January.
Satoshi Nakamoto statue in Lugano, Switzerland. Source: Cointelegraph
Nakamoto’s 50th birthday comes nearly a month after US President Donald Trump signed an executive order creating a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and a Digital Asset Stockpile, marking the first major step toward integrating Bitcoin into the US financial system.
Related: Bitcoin at 16: From experiment to trillion-dollar asset
Nakamoto’s legacy: a “cornerstone of economic sovereignty”
“At 50, Nakamoto’s legacy is no longer just code; it’s a cornerstone of economic sovereignty,” according to Anndy Lian, author and intergovernmental blockchain expert.
“Bitcoin’s reserve status signals trust in its scarcity and resilience,” Lian told Cointelegraph, adding:
“What’s fascinating is the timing. Fifty feels symbolic — half a century of life, mirrored by Bitcoin’s journey from a white paper to a trillion-dollar asset. Nakamoto’s vision of trustless, peer-to-peer money has outgrown its cypherpunk roots, entering the halls of power.”
However, lingering questions about Nakamoto remain unanswered, including whether they still hold the keys to their wallet, which is “a fortune now tied to US policy,” Lian said.
Related: Bitcoin’s next catalyst: End of $36T US debt ceiling suspension
Is Satoshi Nakamoto wealthier than Bill Gates?
In February, Arkham Intelligence published findings that attribute 1.096 million BTC — then valued at more than $108 billion — to Nakamoto. That would place him above Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates on the global wealth rankings, according to data shared by Coinbase director Conor Grogan.
Satoshi’s new addresses. Source: Conor Grogan
If accurate, this would make Nakamoto the world’s 16th richest person.
Despite the growing interest in Nakamoto’s identity and holdings, his early decision to remain anonymous and inactive has helped preserve Bitcoin’s decentralized ethos — a principle that continues to define the cryptocurrency to this day.
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