DUP leadership: Three candidates for DUP deputy leader

MP Gregory Campbell and MLAs Paul Frew and Paula Bradley are running for the DUP deputy leader post

There are three candidates in the running to be Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) deputy leader.

They are East Londonderry MP Gregory Campbell and MLAs Paul Frew, of North Antrim, and Paula Bradley, of North Belfast.

Nominations for both the leader and deputy leader of the party closed at 17:00 BST on Thursday.

There are two candidates for the DUP's top job - Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots and Sir Jeffrey Donaldson MP.

The vacancy at the top of the party came after leader and First Minister Arlene Foster announced her resignation last week.

The deputy leader post became vacant after Lord Dodds announced on Tuesday that he would not bid to remain in the post.

Party officials have said candidates should not give interviews about their candidacy in the first-ever DUP leadership contest.

Mr Campbell is the most senior, and best known, of the three deputy leader candidates. He joined the DUP shortly after it was founded in the 1970s.

He has been a councillor and an MLA but he is currently MP for East Londonderry, having first won the seat 22 years ago.

The deputy leader post became vacant after Lord Dodds announced that he would not bid to remain in the post

He has faced criticism in the past for making remarks about the Irish language that were described as "ignorant" by Sinn Fein.

Mr Campbell is also a supporter of a number of evangelical groups.

Earlier this year, he was accused of "race-baiting" after describing the number of black people on an edition of Songs of Praise as "the BBC at its BLM (Black Lives Matter) worst".

He refused to apologise but said he was opposed to racism "in all its forms".

Mr Frew, campaign manager for Mr Poots, has been the MLA for North Antrim since 2010, while Ms Bradley has been the MLA for Belfast North since 2011.

Mr Frew joined the assembly in 2010 when he replaced his North Antrim colleague Ian Paisley, who also holds the seat at Westminster.

He had been a councillor for five years and worked as an electrician before entering politics.

The North Antrim MLA has been forthright in recent years about the need for reform, both within his own party and wider transformation of how government functions.

Ms Bradley currently chairs Stormont's Communities Committee. Prior to being elected to Stormont, she had been a councillor on Newtownabbey council.

A majority of the 28 DUP MLAs (Members of the Legislative Assembly) and eight MPs have not made any public declarations of support concerning the leadership race.

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• All you need to know about the DUP leadership race

DUP East Belfast MP Gavin Robinson said on Thursday that the decision not to have interviews with the candidates was made by the party officers.

Mr Robinson, who is backing Sir Jeffrey for DUP leader, said there was an internal process underway.

Arlene Foster steps down as DUP leader on 28 May

"I have no doubt over the course of the coming days that you will understand and know the positions that both candidates are to adopt," he said.

In order to become party leader and deputy leader, a candidate must secure the support of at least 18 of the party's assembly members and MPs.

An announcement on the leadership is expected by 17:00 BST on 14 May, the party said.

The meeting, to be overseen by party chairman Lord Morrow, will be conducted virtually.

Mr Poots began his leadership bid last Thursday, while Sir Jeffrey announced his bid on Monday, on the 100th anniversary of the formation of Northern Ireland.

Speaking in the Northern Ireland Assembly on Tuesday, Mr Poots, a Lagan Valley MLA, confirmed he had "no desire" to hold the position of first minister should he be elected DUP leader.

It is understood he would like to remain agriculture minister.