“Following the announcement that Mike Nesbitt MLA would be standing down as Leader of the Ulster Unionist Party, the Party initiated its leadership transition process, beginning with the opening of nominations. Nominations officially closed at 5pm today.

“We can confirm that Jon Burrows MLA has successfully met the nomination threshold of 35 signatures from at least nine constituency associations and will stand as a candidate for Leader of the Ulster Unionist Party.

“The Party will now move to the next stage of the leadership transition. The Party Management Board will meet to agree the next steps and finalise arrangements for leadership engagements and for the Extraordinary General Meeting scheduled for 31 January 2026.

“Mike Nesbitt MLA will continue as Party Leader until a new leader is formally ratified.”