Iris to stand down as MLA?
During Inside Politics I talked to the DUP leader Peter Robinson about his post mortem on the damaging European election results and his plans for a Stormont reshuffle. i asked about rumours that his wife, Iris, might give up politics altogether. He denied this, but hinted heavily that whilst he will concentrate on Stormont, she is more likely to focus on Westminster as Strangford MP.
My understanding is that the DUP reshuffle should be announced, either in whole or in part, sometime in the coming week. Whilst MPs are being urged to decide whether they want to stay at Stormont or Westminster, they won't be expected to stand down as MLAs this summer. Instead they will probably remain in both jobs until after the next General Election, making it clear if they stand again for Westminster that, if succesful, they will not keep their MLA jobs.
Arlene Foster is standing in for Nigel Dodds for a number of budget debates on Monday and Tuesday. However I'm advised this isn't an indication she will inherit the Finance portfolio. She has been talked about as a candidate. But there has also been discussion of Sammy Wilson's expertise in this area (he used to teach economics). The East Antrim MP told the Belfast Telegraph this week that if he wanted to work all day and all night that was his business. It's thought he may be one possible exception to the "no double jobbing" rule - the DUP is still discussing whether this should apply across the board or whether there should be some flexibility.
Yvette Shapiro's vox pops in North Antrim for the "Politics Show" today didn't sound particularly good news for Ian Paisley Jr. If he runs (and he was still saying it's up to his father whether he steps down) he will certainly face a tough struggle to fight off Jim Allister's challenge.
Tonight the Politics Show has a special documentary "Out Of The Box" at 10.20 pm on ´óÏó´«Ã½1. Francis Gorman has been behind the scenes with the Electoral Office throughout the European campaign and the count at the King's Hall. There were 4319 rejected ballot papers. There's an illuminating sequence in which you can find out why some of those people deliberately chose to spoil their votes.
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