Mike Nesbitt resigns as health minister amid row with UUP leader

Mike Nesbitt has resigned as health minister amid a row with the UUP leader Jon Burrows.

The decision comes following a clash over withdrawing emergency general surgery services from Causeway Hospital.

Nesbitt served twice as leader of the party, first from 2012 until 2017 and again from 2024 until earlier this year when Burrows took over.

In a statement, Nesbitt said his time as health minster was "the greatest privilege of his political career".

A UUP spokesperson thanked him for his service and said he left a "significant legacy".

Nesbitt is the second high-profile resignation from the party within months, after another ex-leader Doug Beattie quit in May, lashing out at Burrows' leadership.

Last week Burrows, who is a North Antrim MLA, told a town hall meeting that he did not support emergency general surgery being removed from Causeway Hospital.

The Northern Health Trust previously recommended that EGS should only be provided at one of its hospital sites.

It is understood the Department of Health was still waiting for a final recommendation to come to the minister.

Nesbitt was unable to attend last week's meeting due to a constituency election meeting in Strangford.

UUP leader Jon Burrows attended in his place.

He voiced opposition to the closure of the EGS service. Last Wednesday, Burrows said he did not agree with that and would "never agree with it".

"Emergency surgery must remain at the Causeway Hospital and it should be built up, not run down and that is my position and it's not for negotiation."

However, he stopped short of saying whether or not he would direct Nesbitt not to sign off on the move.

In his resignation letter, Nesbitt said that when Burrows became party leader, Burrows told him his "one 'red line'" was puberty blockers and his "opposition to Northern Ireland participating in the Pathways trial".

In a copy of the letter he sent to Burrows, posted on social media, Nesbitt said the party leader had now "introduced a second red line" regarding the EGS at Causeway Hospital.

Nesbitt said he had discovered Burrows' view of "issues under [his] purview" by "monitoring the media".

"Yesterday, I offered you a way to manage this situation. As I have not received a timely response and given the shock waves you have created in the HSC system, this matter needs resolved," he said.

In a statement on Tuesday, a UUP spokesperson confirmed Nesbitt's resignation.

"We thank him sincerely for his service and for the leadership he has given to our health and social care workforce," they said.

"Mike took on one of the most difficult briefs in government with a genuine determination to make health and social care better for everyone in Northern Ireland.

"From beginning the shift towards a neighbourhood model of care, to putting health inequalities at the centre of policy, he leaves a significant legacy, not least the progress made on some of Northern Ireland's longest waiting lists."

It is unclear who will take over as health minister. The UUP said it will set out further details on next steps shortly.

Nesbitt's decision to quit leaves the party seven days to nominate a replacement.

Northern Ireland Secretary Sir Chris Bryant thanked Nesbitt "for the enormous contribution" he made during his time as health minster "in confronting the huge challenges facing the health service and driving forward reform".

He said it was "vital for patients across Northern Ireland that this work continues without interruption".

"I look forward to the appointment of a new health minister as soon as possible, so that there is strong leadership in the department, further progress on reform and continued stability," he said.

The chair of Stormont's health committee, Phillip McGuigan, said Nesbitt's resignation came "at an extremely challenging time" for the health and social care system.

He said major decisions were needed on transformation, waiting lists, workforce pressures and the future configuration of hospital services.

"Whatever the political circumstances surrounding the minister's resignation, patients and staff must not be left facing uncertainty," the Sinn Féin MLA said.

"Regarding the Causeway Hospital if there is to be a major service change, it must be based on clinical evidence, with any decisions made because they produce better outcomes for patients rather than the internal party politics of the UUP."

Stormont's leader of the opposition, Matthew O'Toole, said the resignation underlined the need for a more serious and responsible approach to government in Northern Ireland.

"This news tonight will come as an insult to healthcare workers and patients who had been promised a serious approach to reforming our broken system," the SDLP MLA said.

"Once again, our public services are undermined by irresponsibility, short-termism and political game-playing."

Aontú deputy leader Gemma Brolly, who is chair of the SoS Causeway Hospital campaign group said the new health minister must prioritise and defend services at the site.

She said her priority was "to halt the pattern of stripping essential services" from the hospital.