THE SDLP’S STORMONT leader Matthew O’Toole has endorsed Claire Hanna to take over from party leader Colum Eastwood, who yesterday announced his resignation from the role.

O’Toole said Hanna, the South Belfast and Mid Down MP, is the best person to build a coalition for an “inclusive new Ireland”.

Eastwood announced yesterday that he was standing down after nine years as leader, saying it was time for a change at the top of the party.

Eastwood will formally resign at the party conference in October. He has already endorsed Hanna as his potential successor.

Speaking in Derry yesterday, Eastwood said he had “absolutely no doubt in my mind that Claire Hanna has what it takes to be the leader of the SDLP”.

“She would be far and away the best option for the members,” he added.

Eastwood continued: “This is my opportunity to be the first to endorse Claire Hanna. It is up to Claire but I hope she puts her name forward, and I hope the party endorse her.”

Hanna has not commented publicly, other than a social media post in which she said she would have more to say in the coming days after speaking to her family and team.

However, O’Toole this morning rowed in behind Eastwood in endorsing Hanna for the role.

O’Toole is the party’s other high-profile figure, leading the team of eight MLAs in opposition at Stormont.

Asked if he would run for leader, he told the BBC Good Morning Ulster programme: “When there is a vacancy like this, the most important thing you need to do first of all is to think about what the purpose of the role is and what the values are of the SDLP.

“You need to think about who the best person is to lead that effort, whether it is politically or in a broader sense, and I think the best person to do that is Claire Hanna.

“She is an extraordinary leader, she is an extraordinary person. She is also someone who really embodies the reconciled, inclusive new Ireland that we want to build.

“I think she is the best person to broaden that support, to help us make the case and build a coalition for that kind of inclusive new Ireland that we want to see.”

O’Toole also rejected the suggestion that it was more difficult to lead an Irish nationalist party from Westminster than Stormont.

He said: “I think there is a natural complementarity and balance to us having a leader who is based at Westminster in this case in relation to Claire, and a leader at Stormont who is the leader of the opposition.”

He added: “I think we need to do two things. We need to hold the Executive to account, we need to provide the transformative accountability that I think we are providing at Stormont.”

Eastwood has indicated he intends to remain an MP to contribute to the New Ireland commission he helped to establish to facilitate communications around Irish unity.

Eastwood became the party’s youngest ever leader in 2015, having taken over from Alasdair McDonnell following a leadership contest that he won by fewer than 40 votes.