Geoffrey Donaldson: Ulster Unionists to establish independent process for sharing information

Donaldson’s tenure in politics began in 1985 when he was elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly for the UUP to represent the South Down constituency in the 1980s.

Before being elected, he worked for South Down MP Enoch Powell, who joined the Ulster Unionists from the Conservatives in the 1970s.

In the year In 1997, when his boss James Molyneux retired as Lagan Valley MP, Donaldson comfortably held the seat for the UUP.

But when political negotiations at Stormont turned to the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, his unhappiness with the party became clear.

He became one of the UUP’s biggest critics on issues such as IRA disarmament, warning then leader David Trimble not to support him.

After the agreement and the formation of the first power-sharing government, he caused trouble for the party and supported other unsuccessful bids to oust Trimble.

In the year He left in 2003 and switched to the DUP.