Stormont health minister Mike Nesbitt has resigned from his post with “regret” amid a row with Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) 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.
Resignation letter details
Mr Nesbitt posted a copy of his resignation letter, dated August 18, to Mr Burrows on X, in which the details of their row are laid bare. He 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.
In the letter, Mr Nesbitt said: “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 response
Earlier, a UUP spokesman confirmed the Strangford MLA had “chosen to resign” the health portfolio and said 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.”
Background
Mr Nesbitt was twice UUP leader, from 2013 to 2017 and from 2024 until earlier this year when Mr Burrows was appointed. He was first elected as an MLA in 2011 after a high-profile broadcasting career, and he was also commissioner for victims and survivors.
