First minister and leader of Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party, Arlene Foster, has resigned after 75% of her elected representatives signed a letter of no confidence following her recent decision to abstain from voting on a conversion therapy ban.
Although the motion to ban conversion therapy received overwhelming support from all other major political parties, Foster said she wished to protect ‘religious freedom’, writing on Twitter: “Any law coming forward must define therapy in a way which does not harm freedom of religion.”Foster’s comments sparked backlash among LGBTQ+ activists, and now reports from the News Letter have confirmed that DUP party members voted to remove Foster as leader.