The DUP Westminster election campaign has been thrown into disorder after the party's Minister for Health, Jim Wells, was forced to resign over remarks linking same-sex couples to child abuse.
First Minister Peter Robinson and the DUP leadership stood by the South Down Assembly member until the weekend, but news of a further incident involving a lesbian couple compounded his problems, leading to his announcement yesterday morning that he was resigning.
There is concern in party headquarters that this controversy could deter more moderate unionists from supporting DUP candidates in Upper Bann, South Antrim and North Belfast, where it is seeking to hold seats, and in East Belfast and South Belfast, where it is hoping to win seats.
Duties
Mr Wells is to quit his post on May 11th. DUP leader Peter Robinson has decided that Minister for Finance
Simon Hamilton
will take on some of his duties in the meantime .
Up to Sunday night it appeared Mr Wells might survive calls to resign. It then emerged, however, that a lesbian couple alleged he had questioned their lifestyle when he canvassed their home in Rathfriland, Co Down, on Saturday.
On two occasions Mr Wells, who is standing for the DUP in South Down, sought to apologise to the couple but this just seemed to exacerbate the issue, with a complaint made to police on behalf of the couple. The fact the Assembly was yesterday debating a proposal on same-sex marriage also made him vulnerable to continuing attack and also continuing bad publicity for the DUP.
Wife’s illness
Mr Wells issued his resignation statement yesterday morning, citing the illness of his wife Grace. She has been hospitalised for three months after suffering two strokes and also has heart problems.
Mr Wells also referred to his remark that a child with same-sex parents is “far more likely to be abused and neglected”. “I have already said sorry for the offence caused and acknowledged that the comments were factually inaccurate. At no time did I set out to hurt or offend anyone,” he said. He also said he and his family had been subjected to “abusive and menacing” attacks on social media.
Mr Robinson paid tribute to Mr Wells and said: “I do ask people that they should not take on the characteristic of a lynch mob about these matters.”
