Stormont health minister Mike Nesbitt resigned from his post with “regret” amid a row with Ulster Unionist Party leader Jon Burrows. It emerged on Tuesday that the former UUP leader had quit the portfolio in the Northern Ireland Assembly that he had held since May 2024.
He had recently come under pressure from campaigners against the withdrawal of emergency general surgery from Causeway Hospital in Coleraine, Co Londonderry. Mr Burrows was among those who indicated support for the hospital to keep the service.
Secretary of state thanks Nesbitt
Secretary of State Sir Chris Bryant thanked Mr Nesbitt for his service, adding it was “vital for patients across Northern Ireland that this work continues without interruption”. “I look forward to the appointment of a new Health Minister as soon as possible, so that there is strong leadership in the Department, further progress on reform and continued stability,” he said. “I have spoken to Mike and wish him well for the future and thank him again for his service.”
Health Committee chairman Philip McGuigan said he would seek an urgent briefing with the permanent secretary of the Department of Health. “This comes at an extremely challenging time for our health and social care system, with major decisions required on transformation, waiting lists, workforce pressures and the future configuration of hospital services,” he said. “Whatever the political circumstances surrounding the minister’s resignation, patients and staff must not be left facing uncertainty.”
Resignation letter details row
The Department of Health did not comment when approached on Tuesday. Mr Nesbitt posted a copy of his resignation letter, dated August 18, to Mr Burrows on X in which the details of their row is laid bare. Mr Nesbitt wrote that Mr Burrows gave him a “red line” initially over his opposition to puberty blockers, but had recently introduced a second red line on his stance over the Causeway Hospital.
The second centres on comments Mr Burrows made to a town hall meeting last week, during which he said he did not support emergency general surgery being removed from Causeway Hospital. In Mr Nesbitt’s letter, he wrote: “When you became leader, you informed me, with your hallmark clarity, that when it came to health, you had but one ‘red line’, namely puberty blockers and your opposition to Northern Ireland participating in the Pathways trial. I accepted that, even though our engagement with Pathways was the price of securing the Executive’s agreement to join GB’s ban on blockers, something most observers thought impossible to achieve. Many Executive colleagues will rightly feel betrayed by my U-turn. This letter concerns the fact you appear to have introduced a second ‘red line’, regarding Emergency General Surgery at Causeway Hospital. I am not the sort of minister who is happy to discover the leader’s view of issues under my purview by having to monitor the media. Yesterday (Monday), I offered you a way to manage this situation. As I have not received a timely response, and given the shockwaves you have created in the HSC system, this matter needs resolved. Being Minister of Health remains the greatest privilege of my political career. It is, therefore, with no little regret that I have composed this letter of resignation.”
UUP confirms resignation
Earlier a UUP spokesman confirmed the Strangford MLA had “chosen to resign” the health portfolio and the party would set out details on the next steps shortly. “We can confirm that Mike Nesbitt has chosen to resign as minister of health and we thank him sincerely for his service and for the leadership he has given to our health and social care workforce,” the spokesman said. “Mike took on one of the most difficult briefs in government with a genuine determination to make health and social care better for everyone in Northern Ireland. From beginning the shift towards a neighbourhood model of care, to putting health inequalities at the centre of policy, he leaves a significant legacy, not least the progress made on some of Northern Ireland’s longest waiting lists.” The spokesman added: “The Ulster Unionist Party will set out further details on next steps shortly.”
Mr Nesbitt was twice UUP leader, from 2013 to 2017 and from 2024 until earlier this year when Mr Burrows was appointed. Also in his resignation letter, Mr Nesbitt thanked Mr Burrows for agreeing to be co-opted as a North Antrim MLA following the election of Robin Swann to Westminster. “Bringing you into Stormont is on me, as is my decision to stand down as party leader, opening the opportunity for you to mount a successful campaign to take the role,” he wrote. “Previously, I held the record for the shortest time between becoming an MLA and assuming the leadership, but you proved I was only playing at it. Congratulations!” Mr Nesbitt was first elected as an MLA in 2011 after a high-profile broadcasting career and he was also commissioner for victims and survivors.
