Debate contribution: Jeffrey Donaldson: Further Revelations

Debate contribution by Mr Matthew O'Toole on 29 June 2026.

MLA

Mr Matthew O'Toole

Party at the time

Social Democratic and Labour Party

Date

29 June 2026

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Matter of the Day

Heading

Jeffrey Donaldson: Further Revelations

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5644457

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Jeffrey Donaldson is an abuser, and he — no one else — is responsible for his abuse. His victims have experienced pain that few of us can imagine and shown courage that few of us would be capable of. Although Donaldson alone is culpable for his actions, all institutions are responsible for protecting vulnerable people. Abusers can manipulate in any organisation. That is why safeguarding policies exist and need to be followed, and it is why further revelations about Donaldson's actions must be explained and investigated. 'Spotlight' and the 'Belfast Telegraph' have reported that a young woman complained of being exploited by the former DUP leader. The allegations were serious enough for the former MP and MLA for North Antrim to describe that young woman as a "victim" of Donaldson and pass her complaint on to the then party leader, who is now the Speaker. We are told that that woman's wishes were followed up on but not whether a safeguarding policy was followed or whether the matter was referred to the police. Given, as I said, that the party leader in question is now the Speaker of the Assembly, it is of the utmost importance that urgent and specific clarity be brought to the matter. What was the nature of the complaint? What safeguarding policy was followed? What action was taken? The convention in the House is that we do not challenge the Chair, but such conventions pale in comparison to questions of safeguarding, so I ask for clarity on what processes were followed, and, yes, that goes for the DUP more broadly. An internal review will not be enough, given the gravity of the issues. We also need to understand whether any concerns were raised about Jeffrey Donaldson when he was an MLA, including when he served as a junior Minister with specific responsibilities for young people. The public must have confidence that those of us who wield power are following safeguarding processes. Distinct from specific questions of safeguarding is the issue of divergence between the public and the private. That also touches on public confidence. To be clear, I do not believe that public figures should have their lawful private lives policed when it comes to sexual conduct or alcohol intake. I am not a moralist. I do not seek to sit in judgement of others or to constrain others' private lives. The DUP does, however, and has done for all its existence. It is of no consequence to me what people do privately, so long as it is legal and consensual, but it becomes a matter of public interest when a party political leader whose party is blocking basic rights for gay people and blocking relationships and sexuality education (RSE) for young people is engaged in grotesquely hypocritical conduct. There is a whole range of questions that need to be answered. We have scarcely time to touch on them in the short time available today. One such question concerns the defamation regime in Northern Ireland. We need to understand whether it serves to protect powerful people here. At the heart of this, however, is the fact that the DUP needs to reflect on what has happened —

— and explain —

— what actions have and have not been taken.

We need to know what it —

— knew about Donaldson, when —

— it knew it and what —

— it did about it.

569 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 15:58 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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