Stormont health minister Mike Nesbitt has resigned from his post.
The former Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) leader has held the portfolio in the Northern Ireland Assembly since May 2024.
He had recently come under pressure from campaigners against the withdrawal of emergency general surgery from Causeway Hospital in Coleraine, Co Londonderry.
UUP leader Jon Burrows was among those who indicated support for the hospital to keep the service.
Mr Nesbitt did not make any comment on Tuesday night.
A UUP spokesman confirmed the Strangford MLA had “chosen to resign” the health portfolio and the party would set out details on the next steps shortly.
“We can confirm that Mike Nesbitt has chosen to resign as minister of health and we thank him sincerely for his service and for the leadership he has given to our health and social care workforce,” the spokesman 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.”
The spokesman added: “The Ulster Unionist Party will set out further details on next steps shortly.”
Mr Nesbitt served twice as UUP leader, from 2013 to 2017 and again from 2024 until earlier this year when Mr Burrows was appointed.
He was first elected as an MLA in 2011 following a high-profile broadcasting career and he was also commissioner for victims and survivors.
