Carla Lockhart quits DUP following Drumcree parading row

Carla Lockhart has resigned from the Democratic Unionist Party following a dispute over the party's response to the Drumcree parading issue, the BBC reported on Monday. Lockhart, who serves as the Member of Parliament for Upper Bann, announced that she was leaving the party on a point of principle and will remain in the House of Commons as an independent unionist. [1][6]

The exit follows tension over a contentious Orange Order parade in Portadown, County Armagh, according to the BBC. Nationalist protests on Garvaghy Road, involving First Minister Michelle O'Neill and other senior Sinn Féin figures, blocked the parade from passing along the street. Lockhart had demanded that the Democratic Unionist Party withdraw Stormont's deputy first minister to force O'Neill from their joint office. [1]

Democratic Unionist Party leader Gavin Robinson stated that the party and Lockhart were in fundamentally different places, The Irish News reported. The Belfast Telegraph reported that Lockhart stated she wants to be a politician whose word means something. [2][3]

Lockhart has served as the Member of Parliament for Upper Bann since the 2019 general election and previously served in the Northern Ireland Assembly from 2016 to 2019. She has also served as the Democratic Unionist Party spokesperson for environment, food and rural affairs. [6]