Party colleague, Doug Beattie, who was re-elected as an MLA in Upper Bann said he was saddened to hear that Mr Nesbitt was standing down as he was a "personal friend and colleague". The Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) secured 12 seats, the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) won 10 seats, the Alliance Party – 8, the Greens got two seats and the People Before Profit and Traditional Unionist Voice each got one seat. Ulster Unionist leader Mike Nesbitt announced his resignation after a poor showing, while DUP leader and former first minister Arlene Foster will face scrutiny after her party fell below the threshold to trigger a contentious Stormont veto mechanism. In contrast, Michelle O'Neill, of Sinn Fein, which attracted a 27.9% share of the votes, said the results were "a brilliant day for equality… a great day for democracy."
Mike Nesbitt announces he is standing down as leader of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) following the party's poor performance in yesterday's Northern Ireland Assembly election.