Carla Lockhart quits DUP over Drumcree parade dispute
The Upper Bann MP has left the Democratic Unionist Party with immediate effect, citing a “point of principle”, and will sit in the Commons as an independent unionist. She had urged the DUP to withdraw the deputy first minister to force Michelle O’Neill from office over Sinn Féin’s role in Garvaghy Road protests that blocked an Orange Order parade.
Ms O’Neill and other senior Sinn Féin figures have been interviewed by police investigating the demonstrations in Portadown; she maintains her involvement was “the right thing to do”. Last week the DUP chose a narrower response, blocking official engagements involving the first minister rather than collapsing the joint office. Ms Lockhart’s departure, after holding the seat since 2019, exposes unionist division over how far to escalate and reduces the DUP’s Westminster representation.