EDWIN POOTS HAS this afternoon declared he is running to be leader of the DUP. 

This follows yesterday’s announcement by Arlene Foster that she is stepping down as leader of the party at the end of May.

In a video message posted online, Poots thanked Arlene Foster for her work in the party.

Poots himself is the current Agriculture Minister in the North and is viewed as one of the more hardline politicians with the DUP. 

His likely opponents include MPs Jeffrey Donaldson and Gavin Robinson. 

Foster’s resignation came a day after party colleagues unhappy with her leadership moved against her, with a majority of senior elected representatives signing a letter of no confidence.

Discontent at the DUP’s Brexit strategy was a major factor, with party rank-and-file laying some of the blame for the emergence of an Irish Sea border at her door.

Traditionalists from the party’s religious fundamentalist wing also harboured concerns over positions Foster had taken on some social issues.

With reporting by PA