75% of the Northern Irish assembly’s DUP members have signed a letter of no confidence in first minister Arlene Foster, along with at least half of her MPs in Westminster, five years into her leadership. According to the Belfast News Letter, there are 21 MLAs, four MPs and at least one peer’s name on the letter sent to the party chairman Lord Morrow.

Morrow says there will now be an emergency meeting of party officers to put in place a leadership challenge – easier said than done given the party has never had a formal internal challenge before. It’s been thought Foster’s leadership security was enjoying no obvious contender waiting in the wings, now they finally need to find someone…