Margaret Ritchie, leader of the nationalist SDLP, is to step down from the Northern Ireland party’s top job, sources in Stormont said today.
Only weeks after Ms Ritchie declared she would face down a looming challenge to her leadership, the South Down MP has decided to leave her post.
Her current deputy Patsy McGlone had already announced his intention to contest the leadership at the party’s annual conference in November following poor election results.
Ms Ritchie replaced Mark Durkan as leader last year, narrowly defeating South Belfast MP Alasdair McDonnell.
Her decision follows weeks of internal rumours over her intentions. Ms Ritchie came under pressure after the party lost two Assembly seats in May’s elections.
The SDLP has already been eclipsed by Sinn Féin over the last decade as the main voice of nationalism.
But when news of Mr McGlone’s challenge emerged, Ms Ritchie said she would defend her position. “Anyone in the parliamentary assembly group is free to put their name forward,” she said at the time. “But at the end of the day, I am the leader.”
The long-standing SDLP representative was criticised for her media performances, while party members also questioned the direction in which she had taken the party during her tenure.
PA