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bbc Colum Eastwood is to resign as chief of the SDLP on Thursday, BBC News NI understands.
Mr Eastwood turned chief of the occasion in 2015 and is the MP for Foyle.
The Irish News first reported the choice that he’s to announce he’s stepping down at a press convention on Thursday.
His resignation comes simply eight weeks after he retained his Westminster seat with a decreased majority of 4,166.
While the occasion additionally retained its seat in South Belfast & Mid Down, the general common election outcome was thought to be disappointing for the SDLP, which misplaced substantial floor in South Down and Upper Bann.
Mr Eastwood has been chief of the SDLP since 2015.
It is known that Mr Eastwood will stay as chief till a successor is chosen by the occasion.
It is anticipated {that a} substitute can be named in time for the occasion’s annual convention in October.
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Who is Colum Eastwood?
At solely 41 years previous, Colum Eastwood could also be thought of by many a veteran of the Social Democratic and Labour Party
Mr Eastwood joined the occasion in 1998.
The 2015 occasion convention – the place he was elected chief – was his 18th convention and he has held elected workplace for nearly twenty years.
Before politics
Born in Londonderry in 1983, Mr Eastwood was educated at St Columb’s College within the metropolis which counts two Nobel laureates – poet Seamus Heaney and long-time SDLP chief John Hume – amongst its former pupils.
He has mentioned Mr Hume and his deputy Seamus Mallon had been among the many figures who drew him to the occasion to marketing campaign for the Good Friday Agreement.
In 2005, only a week after his twenty second birthday, he was elected to Derry City Council and between 2010 and 2011 served as town’s youngest ever mayor.
That was adopted in May 2011 by election to the Northern Ireland Assembly.
When did he grow to be SDLP chief?
In 2015 he challenged incumbent Alasdair McDonnell for the management of the occasion, ousting him by 172 votes to 133.
His election as chief introduced consideration again to a controversial second in 2012, when he carried the coffin of a private buddy at a paramilitary-style funeral.
He mentioned he was performing in a private capability and defended his determination.
In the 2019 Westminster election Mr Eastwood was making an attempt to win the seat again from Sinn Féin who had gained it for the primary time by a slim margin on the earlier election.
He emerged victorious with a majority of 17,110.
